Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what the cost is of (a) running and (b) administering the Serious Fraud Office online reporting tool.

During the financial year 2016/17, the SFO recorded expenditure of £21,943 for hosting its secure communications infrastructure. This supports one-off questionnaires for victims of specific, alleged frauds and secure communications with overseas partners, as well as the secure reporting tool.

In addition, £450 for administration costs was incurred. This was for user licence fees attributable to accessing the secure reporting tool.

These totals do not include any staff costs as this work is done alongside normal duties. The SFO does not hold accurate information on the time spent administering the system.

Since its introduction, the SFO has continued to improve the functionality of the reporting tool to assist people in making more comprehensive reports about alleged fraud, bribery or corruption. The reporting tool also has the advantage of allowing referrers to make a report anonymously and in confidence without fear of reprisal. It is the main source of people reporting offences to the SFO. It has improved the way in which offences are reported by simplifying the method of doing so. It has also increased the security of those communications. In addition, it offers guidance on other organisations to contact for assistance if the matter falls outside the SFO’s remit.