Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse is of the Government's Cyberstreetwise programme for (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Cyber Streetwise is a cross Government campaign, developed by private and public stakeholder partners and coordinated by the Home Office’s Research, Insight and Communications Unit. It is designed to improve the online safety knowledge, behaviour and confidence of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and individuals; driving down crime, saving victims’ money and reinforcing perceptions of the UK as a safe place to do business. Since its launch in January 2014, approximately 2 million adults have adopted safer online behaviours that will better protect them. Our 2015/16 strategic approach aims to drive measurable shifts in three key behaviours: using strong passwords made up of three random words; installing security software on all devices; and regularly downloading software updates which experts agree will provide SMEs and individuals with the most protection against cyber-crime.

The cost to of the Government of the Cyber Streetwise campaign for a) 2014/15 was £3.956 million (excluding VAT) and b) 2015/16 was £4 million (excluding VAT).