General Orders of the Turks and Caicos Islands Public Service ...

General Orders of the Turks and Caicos Islands Public Service - 1998 EditionCHAPTER 10MISCELLANEOUSOrder 10.1Handling official information10.1.1 In this Order reference to information is taken to include physical and electronically storedinformation and reference to documents and files is taken to include documents and files stored oncomputers or other electronic systems and reference to correspondence is taken to include physical andelectronic transmission.10.1.2 Officers are expressly forbidden to give any unauthorised person information or access toinformation relating to the business of the Public Service. This applies whether the information is inwritten, graphic or printed form, in the form of an audio or video recording, or in the form of acomputer file.10.1.3 Confidential and secret correspondence and documents, including copies, must always be keptseparate from open correspondence and material, and must be kept under lock and key. No reference toconfidential or secret correspondence shall be made in any other correspondence.10.1.4 It is the responsibility of Responsible Officers to ensure that no member of their staffs, otherthan Officers authorised to do so, shall be in a position to handle or see confidential or secretdocuments.10.1.5 Where confidential or secret information is kept on a computer file then it is the responsibilityof the Officer who operates the computer to ensure that the information is kept from any unauthorisedpersons. Such computers must be kept in a secure office that can be locked and where there is noaccess by unauthorised persons. The computer files should be password protected and where possibleaccess to the computer itself should be password protected and the computer should be physicallylocked. Security copies of such files should also be securely locked away.10.1.6 All correspondence marked "secret", "personal", "confidential" or "ill confidence"' must beopened by the addressee personally. Responsible Officers shall themselves be responsible for thesecurity of secret and confidential material that comes into their hands. Responsible Officers mayarrange for one Officer in their department to whom all secret and confidential work will be entrusted.10.1.7 The classification of any file, physical or computer, must follow that of the highest classifieddocument or sheet in it.10.1.8 All correspondence marked or addressed as "secret", "personal", "confidential" or "inconfidence" should be in securely sealed envelopes. Similarly classified information transferredamongst computer systems, whether by physical copy or by means of a network of any kind, must alsobe securely coded to ensure that there is no unauthorised access to the information. Similarly classifiedinformation must not be transmitted by facsimile or by other electronic means unless the receivingequipment is secure from unauthorised access.10.1.9 All communications, whether from the public or from other departments, must be answeredwith the least possible delay. Where it is not possible for a prompt reply to be sent then an interimacknowledgement must be made. It is the responsibility of the Officer answering such communicationsto ensure that delivery of the reply is by a fast, efficient and reliable method.40