According to a Freedom of Information request asking how many devices had been issued to employees annually over the last five years, DWP has increased the number of smartphones issued to employers from 1,983 in 2009/2010 to 2,931 in 2014/2015.
Last month, the Cabinet Office released guidance for Civil Servants on how to take advantage of new technologies and social media platforms, in line with civil service reforms.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude told civil servants: “Digital and social media can help the civil service reach out to the people it serves.
“Gone forever is a world when an anonymous man in an inaccessible Whitehall office made decisions on behalf of others – new digital technologies help civil servants across the country engage actively with the public.”