Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Personal Smartphones: Government Business

Thursday 18 January 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Cabinet Office does not hold central data on personal smartphone use for Government business.
  • The Minister committed to ensuring secure conduct of Government business and supporting individual security responsibilities.
  • The Minister referred Alistair Carmichael to a document published the previous year regarding the use of non-corporate communication channels for government work.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alistair Carmichael Lib Dem Orkney and Shetland
Standards & Ethics
Context

The prevalence of personal smartphone use for Government business by Ministers and officials has been a topic of concern due to potential security risks.

Question

What recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of the use of personal smartphones for conducting Government business by Ministers and officials?

Answer from Alex Burghart

The Cabinet Office does not hold data centrally regarding personal smartphone use. We are committed to ensuring that Government business is conducted securely and to supporting individuals in meeting their security responsibilities. In March last year, we published guidance concerning the use of non-corporate communication channels for Government business, which set out considerations around the use of private devices.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The prevalence data or assessment was not provided.

How: We Are Committed To Ensuring Secure Government Business

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Q2 Alistair Carmichael Lib Dem Orkney and Shetland
Standards & Ethics
Context

The use of private communication channels such as WhatsApp by Ministers, officials and advisers has led to a loss of public confidence in government accountability.

Question

Will the Minister look again at this to see how we can have good, accountable and transparent government?

Answer from Alex Burghart

The right hon. Gentleman raised important points. I draw his attention to the document we published last year: “Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business”. I think he will be particularly interested in the summary table on page two.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No commitment was given to review or update the guidance.

How: I Draw His Attention To The Document We Published Last Year

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