Prohibited websites (FOI)

Request

I understand that on States servers accessing, downloading, storing, processing, publishing, displaying or sending inappropriate material is prohibited. For example, material that is illegal, pornographic, or likely to cause offence.

A

Please kindly provide the number of States staff that have been found guilty of and / or officially reprimanded for this over the past five years, broken down by year.

B

If a member of staff was indeed found to have committed such an offence, what would the consequence be? What would an official reprimand constitute?

Response

A

Over the past five years there have been no cases of States employees being found guilty under the specific categories you list, illegal and pornographic. However, there has been one case, which could fit into the category likely to cause offence.

B

If a member of staff was suspected of such an offence, the case may be referred to the Police in the first instance. Dependent on the severity of the matter it would remain with the Police and be investigated by them. Otherwise, the case would be investigated internally by the Department and if the allegations were upheld then disciplinary action would be taken.

Exemptions and / or refusals applied to this request

Article 25 – Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.