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THE Metropolitan Police are now leading the hunt for two computer discs lost by the Government containing highly sensitive personal details of HALF the population.
Chancellor Alistair Darling yesterday stunned MPs as he confessed the data included names, addresses, dates of birth, National Insurance numbers — and even bank or building society details.
The discs — containing info on EVERY family receiving Child Benefit — went AWOL after taxmen amazingly sent them to another department 250 miles away by unsecure mail.
Embattled Mr Darling was forced to warn families across the UK to check if bank accounts had been plundered — in case fraudsters had the discs.
He said a junior official flouted strict rules by dumping the details of 25million Britons in the internal post at HM Revenue and Customs.
Mr Darling today “apologised unreservedly” for the security lapse.
The Chancellor said the junior should never have been in a position to post the sensitive information, but said there was currently no evidence to suggest it had fallen into the wrong hands.
Police were frantically searching for the discs today while Mr Darling has ordered a probe into security procedures at Revenue and Customs, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission is also investigating.
The Sun can reveal the scandal, one of the worst government security breaches ever, could have been AVOIDED — for the sake of a tenner.
A senior source at HM Revenue and Customs — whose supremo Paul Gray yesterday quit his £170,000-a-year post over the fiasco — blamed penny-pinching on postage after cuts were ordered last year.
Out ... Gray yesterday
Out ... Gray yesterday
As police continued to scour the postal system, the source scoffed: “Darling is trying to blame the staff for not following procedures. But it’s been common practice to send discs in the internal post for months. Department heads have not been willing to sign for as much registered post since the cutbacks were ordered. The truth is this disaster could have been averted for the sake of £10.
“That’s all it would have cost to send the package securely by private courier and have its progress tracked and monitored. It’s how packages as important as this used to be sent.”
The taxmen’s internal “general” mail service, run by courier firm TNT, handles 90 million letters and packages a year.
The discs vanished en route from the HMRC’s offices in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to London’s National Audit Office.
DO you know where the discs are? Or are you aware of a similar scandal? Ring our newsdesk now on 0207 782 4100 - don't worry about the cost we'll call you straight back. Or email [email protected]
Reeling
TNT stressed last night delivery would have been guaranteed if the discs had been sent using its “consigned service”.
The data was not encrypted — but is believed to be protected by a password known only to customs and revenue staff.
Whitehall officials stressed there was no evidence the discs were stolen to order or were in criminal hands. But the bungle is just the latest in a series, which includes:
A DISC containing personal details on 15,000 Standard Life pension customers going missing in September.
BANK DETAILS being sent to the wrong 8,000 people.
A LAPTOP containing financial information on 400 people being nicked from a car.
Ashen-faced Mr Darling — reeling from criticism of his handling of the Northern Rock bank collapse — drew gasps in the Commons as he said: “I recognise that millions of people across the country will be concerned about what has happened. I deeply regret this and apologise for the anxiety that will undoubtedly be caused. The way in which this has been handled was inexcusable.”
The scandal emerged just a day after he was forced to admit billions in taxpayers’ cash is at risk in the Northern Rock fiasco. The missing discs even include details of PM Gordon Brown. If they got into the wrong hands they could be used for vast fraud.
The discs vanished in October. Two weeks later the bungling junior official successfully sent a second batch of data by REGISTERED post — after the National Audit Office moaned the info had not arrived.
Revenue managers only discovered the first lot was missing 13 days ago. They informed the Chancellor on the morning of Saturday, November 10.
He told the PM immediately — and a search for the missing package was ordered.
Last Wednesday — after a frantic hunt lasting four days — Mr Darling called in Scotland Yard and raised the alarm with the independent Information Commissioner.
The Serious and Organised Crime Agency was brought in. Banks and building societies were alerted.
The shocking blunder means Labour’s plan to bring in ID cards now looks doomed.
But Mr Darling sought to reassure the nation that the scheme would go ahead.
He said: "The advantage of identity cards is using biometric details - you can be surer of the identity of the person who is requesting the information.”
Opposition parties last night stopped short of demanding the Chancellor’s resignation.
But they claimed the Government’s credibility was shot to pieces. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said: “They simply cannot be trusted with people’s personal information."
Asked whether he would consider resigning over the data loss, Mr Darling said it was the job of Government ministers to face up to difficult situations.
how ****ing dumb can you get, £10 and it would have made it and would be able to trace it, HOPEFULLY no one will get money taken out of their accounts, if they do the goverment will have some real big explaining to do
i advise any UK parent who gets child benefits to check their accounts, not sure how many are on here so.
Chancellor Alistair Darling yesterday stunned MPs as he confessed the data included names, addresses, dates of birth, National Insurance numbers — and even bank or building society details.
The discs — containing info on EVERY family receiving Child Benefit — went AWOL after taxmen amazingly sent them to another department 250 miles away by unsecure mail.
Embattled Mr Darling was forced to warn families across the UK to check if bank accounts had been plundered — in case fraudsters had the discs.
He said a junior official flouted strict rules by dumping the details of 25million Britons in the internal post at HM Revenue and Customs.
Mr Darling today “apologised unreservedly” for the security lapse.
The Chancellor said the junior should never have been in a position to post the sensitive information, but said there was currently no evidence to suggest it had fallen into the wrong hands.
Police were frantically searching for the discs today while Mr Darling has ordered a probe into security procedures at Revenue and Customs, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission is also investigating.
The Sun can reveal the scandal, one of the worst government security breaches ever, could have been AVOIDED — for the sake of a tenner.
A senior source at HM Revenue and Customs — whose supremo Paul Gray yesterday quit his £170,000-a-year post over the fiasco — blamed penny-pinching on postage after cuts were ordered last year.
Out ... Gray yesterday
Out ... Gray yesterday
As police continued to scour the postal system, the source scoffed: “Darling is trying to blame the staff for not following procedures. But it’s been common practice to send discs in the internal post for months. Department heads have not been willing to sign for as much registered post since the cutbacks were ordered. The truth is this disaster could have been averted for the sake of £10.
“That’s all it would have cost to send the package securely by private courier and have its progress tracked and monitored. It’s how packages as important as this used to be sent.”
The taxmen’s internal “general” mail service, run by courier firm TNT, handles 90 million letters and packages a year.
The discs vanished en route from the HMRC’s offices in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to London’s National Audit Office.
DO you know where the discs are? Or are you aware of a similar scandal? Ring our newsdesk now on 0207 782 4100 - don't worry about the cost we'll call you straight back. Or email [email protected]
Reeling
TNT stressed last night delivery would have been guaranteed if the discs had been sent using its “consigned service”.
The data was not encrypted — but is believed to be protected by a password known only to customs and revenue staff.
Whitehall officials stressed there was no evidence the discs were stolen to order or were in criminal hands. But the bungle is just the latest in a series, which includes:
A DISC containing personal details on 15,000 Standard Life pension customers going missing in September.
BANK DETAILS being sent to the wrong 8,000 people.
A LAPTOP containing financial information on 400 people being nicked from a car.
Ashen-faced Mr Darling — reeling from criticism of his handling of the Northern Rock bank collapse — drew gasps in the Commons as he said: “I recognise that millions of people across the country will be concerned about what has happened. I deeply regret this and apologise for the anxiety that will undoubtedly be caused. The way in which this has been handled was inexcusable.”
The scandal emerged just a day after he was forced to admit billions in taxpayers’ cash is at risk in the Northern Rock fiasco. The missing discs even include details of PM Gordon Brown. If they got into the wrong hands they could be used for vast fraud.
The discs vanished in October. Two weeks later the bungling junior official successfully sent a second batch of data by REGISTERED post — after the National Audit Office moaned the info had not arrived.
Revenue managers only discovered the first lot was missing 13 days ago. They informed the Chancellor on the morning of Saturday, November 10.
He told the PM immediately — and a search for the missing package was ordered.
Last Wednesday — after a frantic hunt lasting four days — Mr Darling called in Scotland Yard and raised the alarm with the independent Information Commissioner.
The Serious and Organised Crime Agency was brought in. Banks and building societies were alerted.
The shocking blunder means Labour’s plan to bring in ID cards now looks doomed.
But Mr Darling sought to reassure the nation that the scheme would go ahead.
He said: "The advantage of identity cards is using biometric details - you can be surer of the identity of the person who is requesting the information.”
Opposition parties last night stopped short of demanding the Chancellor’s resignation.
But they claimed the Government’s credibility was shot to pieces. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said: “They simply cannot be trusted with people’s personal information."
Asked whether he would consider resigning over the data loss, Mr Darling said it was the job of Government ministers to face up to difficult situations.
how ****ing dumb can you get, £10 and it would have made it and would be able to trace it, HOPEFULLY no one will get money taken out of their accounts, if they do the goverment will have some real big explaining to do
i advise any UK parent who gets child benefits to check their accounts, not sure how many are on here so.
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