Alistair Darling has blamed mistakes by junior officials at HM Revenue and Customs after details of 25 million child benefit recipients were lost. The Chancellor said information, including bank details of 7m families, had been sent on discs to the National Audit office by unrecorded delivery. The discs had never arrived at their destination, Mr Darling told MPs. He apologised for what he said was "an extremely serious failure" but insisted people were not at risk from ID fraud.
The records include parents' and children's names, addresses, dates of birth, child benefit and national insurance numbers and in some cases, bank or building society details. He said the missing data was not enough to access accounts on its own but anyone who thought they had been the victim of fraud would be reimbursed by the banks. He said a police investigation had been launched into what he described as a "deeply regrettable incident," which is the latest and most serious in a string of mistakes with data at Revenue and Customs.
The chairman of Revenue and Customs, Paul Gray, resigned earlier after the incident emerged. Briefing MPs on the incident, Mr Darling said the information had been transferred at a junior level in breach of HMRC's procedures. "Contrary to all HMRC standing proceedures two password protected discs containing a full copy of HMRC's entire data in relation to the payment of child benefit was sent to the National Audit Office by HMRC's internal postal system operated by the courier TNT.
"The package was not recorded or registered."
"Mr Speaker, it appears that the data has failed to reach the addressee at the NAO. "Mr Speaker I also have to tell the house that on finding that the package had not arrived at the NAO a further copy of this data was sent - this time by registered post which did arrive at the NAO However, again HMRC should never have let this happen."
The data was sent on October 18 and senior management at HMRC were told it was missing on November 8 and the Chancellor on November 10, said Mr Darling.
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said the government needed to "get a grip" and deliver a basic level of competence. He said it was the "final blow for the ambitions of this government to create a national ID database" as "they simply can not be trusted with people's personal information". Lib Dem acting leader Vince Cable said it was now the Treasury and not the Home Office that was "not fit for purpose". He asked why the information had been sent on discs through the internal mail when it should have been sent electronically.
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas said: "This is an extremely serious and disturbing security breach. This is not the first time that we have been made aware of breaches at the HM Revenue and Customs - we are already investigating two other breaches.
"Incidents like these illustrate that any system is only as good as its weakest link. The alarm bells must now ring in every organisation about the risks of not protecting people's personal information properly.
"As I highlighted earlier this year, it is imperative that organisations earn public trust and confidence by addressing security and other data protection safeguards with the utmost vigour." Mr Thomas welcomed the Chancellor's announcement of an independent review of the incident by Kieran Poynter of PricewaterhouseCoopers and said he would decide on further action once he has received the report.
"Searching questions need to be answered about systems, procedures and human error inside both HMRC and NAO," said Mr Thomas. The prime minister's official spokeswoman said Gordon Brown has "full confidence" in Mr Darling. She added that Mr Darling has not offered to resign.
One more time for lol@Big Brother
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said the government needed to "get a grip" and deliver a basic level of competence. He said it was the "final blow for the ambitions of this government to create a national ID database" as "they simply can not be trusted with people's personal information".
George Osborne is correct. The government is somehow clinically incapable of looking after anything date related. The fact the Tories would be equally inept whizzes over his head, of course.
EBC: Northeners, Huh! What are they good for?! Absolutely nothing!
Cybertron, Justice league...MM, HAB SDN City Watch: Sergeant Detritus
Days Unstabbed, Unabused, Unassualted and Unwavedatwithabutchersknife: 0
That's a lot of records to accidentally lose. It's pretty sad that the company I work for is far more careful with its confidential information than the British Government given how small we are.
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
I am not surprised at all. As a former HMRC employee, I still poke fun at that WOEFUL, WOEFUL, WOEFUL organisation. I can't spill all the beans from that wretched place due to the OSA, but suffice to say you would all be mortified if you worked for those retards.
The public sector is a disgrace in the country, and civil servants on the whole are incompetent lazy shites who make mistakes with your tax money often because there is no proper accountability - and why be accountable when the head honcho, Mr. Darling, fails to fall on his sword for these failings?
PS - I feel sorry for Paul. He was a good chairman. I remember when he visited our office. He talked a lot of sense and was the type of guy you wanted to work for. And now he is gone.
"I'm personally against seeing my pictures and statues in the streets - but it's what the people want." - Saparmurat Niyazov
"I'm not good in groups. It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent." - Q
HAB Military Intelligence: Providing sexed-up dodgy dossiers for illegal invasions since 2003.
I am not surprised at all. As a former HMRC employee, I still poke fun at that WOEFUL, WOEFUL, WOEFUL organisation. I can't spill all the beans from that wretched place due to the OSA, but suffice to say you would all be mortified if you worked for those retards.
"The Official Secrets Act is not to protect secrets, it is to protect officials!"
"what huge and loathsome abnormality was the Sphinx originally carven to represent? Accursed is the sight, be it in dream or not, that revealed to me the supreme horror - the Unknown God of the Dead, which licks its colossal chops in the unsuspected abyss, fed hideous morsels by soulless absurdities that should not exist" - Harry Houdini "Under the Pyramids"
"The goal of science is to substitute facts for appearances and demonstrations for impressions" - John Ruskin, "Stones of Venice"
The only thing that suprises me is the quick resignation of Paul Grey. This thing is going to run and run - if the resignation had been held back for a few days, it could have been used by Number 10 to attempt to end the story. But to resign the day -before- PMQT? Whoever is stage-managing the Brown government's PR is not doing a wonderful job. Isn't Alistar Campbell unemployed at the moment?
"what huge and loathsome abnormality was the Sphinx originally carven to represent? Accursed is the sight, be it in dream or not, that revealed to me the supreme horror - the Unknown God of the Dead, which licks its colossal chops in the unsuspected abyss, fed hideous morsels by soulless absurdities that should not exist" - Harry Houdini "Under the Pyramids"
"The goal of science is to substitute facts for appearances and demonstrations for impressions" - John Ruskin, "Stones of Venice"
Geeeeee.. sounds like the US VetsAdmin, and my states' Public Emplyees Insurance Admin. Both of them have lost documentation on large numbers of their clients this year.
What annoyed me is that the PEIA lost *my* info.
Nitram, slightly high on cough syrup: Do you know you're beautiful?
Me: Nope, that's why I have you around to tell me.
Nitram: You -are- beautiful. Anyone tries to tell you otherwise kill them.
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" -- Leonard Nimoy, last Tweet
I am not surprised at all. As a former HMRC employee, I still poke fun at that WOEFUL, WOEFUL, WOEFUL organisation. I can't spill all the beans from that wretched place due to the OSA, but suffice to say you would all be mortified if you worked for those retards.
"The Official Secrets Act is not to protect secrets, it is to protect officials!"
Never heard that quote before but in 95% of cases, it is so very true!
"I'm personally against seeing my pictures and statues in the streets - but it's what the people want." - Saparmurat Niyazov
"I'm not good in groups. It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent." - Q
HAB Military Intelligence: Providing sexed-up dodgy dossiers for illegal invasions since 2003.
"Yes Minister", or maybe "Yes, Prime Minister". One of the scariest things is to watch/listen to it knowing that Thatcher called it "a closely observed satire". The mind boggles.
"what huge and loathsome abnormality was the Sphinx originally carven to represent? Accursed is the sight, be it in dream or not, that revealed to me the supreme horror - the Unknown God of the Dead, which licks its colossal chops in the unsuspected abyss, fed hideous morsels by soulless absurdities that should not exist" - Harry Houdini "Under the Pyramids"
"The goal of science is to substitute facts for appearances and demonstrations for impressions" - John Ruskin, "Stones of Venice"
