Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23485, for what reasons the information sought could only be provided at disproportionate cost; and what discussions his Department has had with other Government departments on holding this information in a way which permits its less costly provision.

The Ministry of Justice is one of the largest government departments and has responsibility for a number of different parts of the justice system - the courts, tribunals, prisons, legal services, youth justice, probation services, and attendance centres. The Department includes terms and conditions in its contracts that require third parties such as contracted-out services and suppliers (e.g. courier and postal services) to inform us of any data or security breaches that may have taken place. To identify any breaches involving document retention or security policies relating to confidential or secure materials by external consultants or other third parties that may have taken place would require a search across all the Department’s branches, which would incur a disproportionate cost.