Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) desktop, (b) laptop and (c) tablet computers were lost by his Department in the years (i) 2015-16, (ii) 2016-17 and (iii) 2017-18.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) treats all breaches of security very seriously and requires all breaches to be reported regardless of whether there is firm evidence of loss or just an inability to account for some devices. All incidents are subjected to an initial security risk assessment with further action taken on a proportionate basis.

For financial year 2017-18, the following figures were reported as unaccounted for: - 30 desktop computers, 81 laptop computers and one tablet.

For financial year 2016-17, the following figures were reported as unaccounted for: - 19 desktop computers, 51 laptop computers and five tablets.

For financial year 2015-16, the following figures were reported as unaccounted for: - 694 desktop computers, 64 laptop computers and five tablets.

689 of the 694 desktop computers reported as unaccounted for in 2015-16 were part of a single incident highlighted by an Asset Management Audit. Subsequent investigations suggest that it is likely that the incident was the result of an accounting error, with no evidence that any of the assets were lost or stolen.

It is MOD policy that all laptops, tablet computers and removable media are encrypted to minimise the impact if a loss were to occur.