Urgent Debates Declined — Social Development, Ministry—Report on Information Security

I have received a letter from Clare Curran seeking to debate under Standing Order 386 the report of the independent review of the Ministry of Social Development’s information systems security. The release of the report is a particular case of recent occurrence involving ministerial responsibility. The review identified a small number of potential vulnerabilities and that the level of security management was lower than would be expected. The vulnerabilities are being looked into. However, there is no evidence that they have led to another privacy breach. The review considered only publicly accessible systems provided by Government agencies, and further, wider reviews are now likely.

A work programme is under way to ensure improvements are made as a matter of priority. The issue of public trust in Government agencies’ ability to handle private information appropriately is increasingly important, but given the ongoing nature of the Government’s response I am not convinced that there is the element of urgency necessary to justify setting aside the business of the House today when the Budget debate provides another means of discussing the matter. The application is therefore declined.