The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has shut down its online application system run by visa service Vfs Global after a reported security breach last week.

Lord Triesman, secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs made a statement on the reported security breach of the Vfs visa application web site.

'Security is paramount in our visa system. We will conduct an immediate thorough and independent investigation into this reported breach of one of our commercial partners' systems. The outcome will be made public. The VFS web site application service has been shut down,' he said.

'The Vfs system is not a government web site or connected to any UK government information system or web site. No government web site has been compromised.'

To combat identity fraud all visa applicants will be finger-printed in future. This system is currently being developed and is expected to be rolled out by 2008.

It emerged last week that online applications for visas could be seen by other applicants by making a simple change in the browser's URL address. Applicants phone numbers, addresses and social security numbers were allegedly open to identity fraudsters.