John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 1575: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the procedures in place to ensure that personal data stored by his Department is secure. [30123/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has put in place a robust Information Technology infrastructure, at both the hardware and software levels, to ensure the safety of its computer systems and data including personal data. Personal data is held within the Department's Corporate Client System. This would include names, addresses, dates of birth, PPSN, etc. Access to this system together with the Department's other corporate systems is controlled by a sophisticated data access control (Single Sign On) system that includes user profiles. This provides for tailored access appropriate to the individual user's needs.

There are procedures in place for handling requests for extracts of this data. All such requests are submitted to a central administration unit on a standard form for clearance. This form includes the purpose for which the data is required, and an undertaking that it will be used for the stated purpose only. All such requests are verified by the central administration unit to ensure that all of the data items requested are necessary for the purpose declared.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 1576: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of laptop computers, data storage devices and USB memory sticks that have been stolen or lost from his Department in 2007 and to date in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30138/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The table below sets out the number of Department owned laptops, data storage devices and USB memory sticks reported lost or stolen from my Department in recent years:

All laptops are protected by use of a user-id and password. In all cases, the theft was reported to the Gardaí. To date, no personal information concerning members of the public has been compromised. As an added security measure the Department has begun a programme of encrypting all laptops used by its staff.