Government Departments: Mobile Phones

(asked on 4th April 2017) - View Source

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 21 March (HL5826), what messaging applications are specifically approved for use on Cabinet Office-issued official smartphones issued to Ministers and Civil Servants; whether they will publish the acceptable use guidelines and departmental records management policy; and if so, when.


Answered by
Viscount Younger of Leckie Portrait
Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 19th April 2017

The departmental records policy, which is in line with the requirements set out in the Lord Chancellor's Code of Practice and the Civil Service Code, is currently subject to its annual review and, in the interests of transparency, will be published in due course.

In the interests of departmental security, the Cabinet Office does not publish details of applications that are authorised for use on Government smartphones.

Guidelines on use of social media have been published on GOV.UK and can be found at the following: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-media-guidance-for-civil-servants/social-media-guidance-for-civil-servants

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