Government information must be handled in accordance with the requirements of the law, including the Official Secrets Act, Freedom Of Information Act, Data Protection Act and Public Records Act.

DWP does not currently have a set timetable in place to reduce/remove the ability to send and receive fax messages.

However alternative, wider digital channels of communication will become available to customers & DWP colleagues that will naturally reduce the need to utilise faxes by viewing and sharing data information at source, under secure measures.

There are no plans to introduce email as a secure method of exchanging citizen information.

DWP’s security policy defines how we communicate with claimants using email and ensures DWP is vigilant to risks such as data breaches and data loss as well as the possible corruption of DWP’s IT systems.

Once information leaves DWP’s secure systems there is a risk that information may be subsequently lost, manipulated or stolen. We take positive steps to minimise these and other risks, such as limiting the exchange of personal information using email.

We do communicate with disabled claimants using email as a reasonable adjustment where this best meets their communication needs. As there are additional security risks associated with using email we always make sure that the disabled customer is aware of the risk of potential data loss before we put this solution in place.

DWP adheres to Email Security and Policy guidelines when exchanging information with third parties.

We have a list of Trusted Partners who are deemed to have the appropriate security in place to allow us to exchange information with. If an organisation does not meet the criteria to be on the trusted partner list, we have an option to use software to encrypt e-mail between us and the third party which will then allow us to exchange data securely. Currently we communicate with 1100 external recipients via this method from 450 organisations. If the external agency cannot support either of the above then we would not be able to exchange information securely via email and would need to agree an alternative method with them.

The £5.48 email charge is levied to fund the UKVI contact centre commercial contract as the UK government believes it is right that those who use and benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution towards meeting the costs of it. This email charge includes the initial e-mail enquiry plus any follow-up e-mails to and from the contact centre relating to the same enquiry.

The international charge (£5.48 per email enquiry) was introduced on 1st June 2017 as part of the UKVI Contact Centre operations contract awarded to SITEL UK Ltd

Those who use the services are predominantly from outside the UK. Our web site www.gov.uk is the main source of information and advice and is free of charge.

Further details of the financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and SITEL UK Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and International) is not available due to it being commercially sensitive.

Details of the financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and SITEL UK Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and International) is not available due to it being commercially sensitive.

IPSA has a key performance target to respond to 90 per cent of emails within five working days. Between 1 June and 13 June, IPSA responded to 88 per cent of the 563 emails received within this target. IPSA has recently brought in five temporary staff to help improve its response times following the introduction of a new finance, payroll and expenses system in April 2019.

IPSA’s December 2018 user survey found that 68 per cent of MPs and their staff were satisfied with the support that they receive from IPSA on the phone, up from 53 per cent in 2017. Since the introduction of its new online finance and expenses system in April 2019, IPSA has experienced a higher-than-normal volume of calls, with some calls taking up to 45 minutes as MPs and their staff familiarise themselves with the new system. To respond to this increased demand, IPSA has recruited five temporary staff to answer the phone to MPs, and has temporarily closed its phone lines at 4pm in order to respond to the queries raised. IPSA expects to re-open its phone lines until 5pm when this demand subsides.

IPSA has a key performance target to respond to 90 per cent of emails within five days. In 2018-19, IPSA responded to over 85 per cent of the 54,500 letters and emails that were received within five working days of receipt. In April 2019, following the introduction on the new system, IPSA only replied to 70 per cent of emails within this target. The additional temporary staff will also address this increased demand.

IPSA’s performance is monitored by the Speaker’s Committee for the IPSA which approves IPSA’s budget and targets, including how it responds to MPs’ queries.

Natural England has explained to me that action was taken once it was apparent there were technical issues with birds2019@naturalengland.org.uk. All issues were resolved within three hours.

We are unable to comment on a specific email without specific details of the communication.

UK Visas and Immigration accepts all nationality applications received if the customer has provided the required level of information and the appropriate fee. No applications which have met these conditions would be rejected.

UK Visas and Immigration does not require applications for British nationality to be made online. It is still acceptable for customers to apply using the paper forms. However, customers are encouraged to use the intuitive online application service wherever possible and assisted digital support is made available to those who would otherwise struggle to make an online application.

Information on GOV.UK will be revised to ensure that the form is available and how to apply is clear to applicants.

The Home Office helpline received 236 enquiries about the consultation on the Windrush compensation scheme during the consultation period, between 19 July and 16 November 2018. These included requests for further information or paper copies of consultation documents, questions about the consultation or about the compensation scheme. There were no specific requests for assistance in completing a consultation response.

Now the scheme is open for claims, the Home Office intends to publish in due course information on the number of claims submitted, the number of claims decided, and the overall amount paid out by the scheme.

The Independent Parliamentary Standard Authority (IPSA) was established to ensure MPs have the funding and support they need to conduct their parliamentary duties effectively. IPSA is also responsible for setting the level of the MPs’ Staffing Budget and for periodically consulting on all aspects of its expenses scheme, including on Members’ staff expenditure. At these times, Members and others are invited to respond to IPSA’s consultations and to suggest amendments to its scheme.

It is for individual MPs themselves to decide how their own staffing arrangements best support their work and how they respond to campaigning organisations such as 38 Degrees.

In respect of oversight of IPSA’s budgets, the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority is in place to approve its annual estimates of resources. In addition, the Administration Committee meets representatives from IPSA to consider its support for Members and the way it operates its scheme.

The Home Office is putting in place measures to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme is streamlined, user-friendly and accessible to all prospective applicants. There is a broad range of support in place including the Settlement Resolution Centre (SRC) which provides assistance to applicants who need additional information or support about the scheme. If an applicant has a question they can call the Settlement Resolution Centre or complete the standard email template available on GOV.UK which is then sent to a central inbox within the Settlement Resolution Centre.

The SRC is open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm, excluding public holidays, and on Saturday and Sunday between 9.30am and 4.30pm. We will have up to 300 SRC staff in place when the scheme launches by the 30 March.

The Child Maintenance Service is compliant with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Records of telephone conversations are deleted 14 months after the date of the telephone conversation. Email records are retained for the life of a case, and for 14 months after a case has been closed. Records are automatically deleted after this point.

The Child Support Agency is also compliant with GDPR in respect of telephone conversations and the same approach is taken to these as with the Child Maintenance Service, with automatic deletion of records 14 months after the date of the telephone conversation. Email records are not automatically deleted, and therefore manual action is taken to periodically remove these once they are no longer required for case-related activity.

Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally. It is the responsibility of each government department to manage how they receive external emails and report suspicious emails based on their security requirements. Domain-based Message Authentication Protocol (DMARC) is the system in which Departments identify external email.

The NCSC provides guidance and support to government departments on how to implement good cyber hygiene for staff, including the reporting of suspicious emails of which Cabinet Office have no central record of these figures.