Millions of drivers’ data ‘lost’

The details of 3 million candidates for the driving theory test have gone missing, the BBC understands.

The loss took place when the hard drive of a computer belonging to a private contractor to the driving standards agency went missing in the US.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is due to give details to MPs at about 1730.

It is the latest in a series of data losses since HM Revenue and Customs lost discs holding 25m people’s data, including bank account details.

Chancellor Alistair Darling has been given an interim report into that loss, but said conclusions would be outlined in a full report out next year.

The head of HMRC, and its data security chief, are also to be probed by MPs.

The two Child Benefit discs that went missing in October contained names, dates of birth, bank and address details.

They were lost when a junior official at HM Revenue and Customs in Tyne and Wear sent them by courier unregistered and unencrypted, to the National Audit Office in London – but they did not arrive.

It is believed police think the discs may have accidentally been thrown out as rubbish.

Officers have visited several tips around London to check what waste was delivered there.

A large scale hunt for the discs has failed to find them.

The government has apologised and said there was no evidence the discs had fallen into the wrong hands.

But millions of families have been told to be on alert for fraudsters using their details, stored on the discs.

Data security grilling

Mr Darling said some other missing discs would also be looked at as part the inquiry by Mr Poynter, UK chairman at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

A full version of the report is expected by spring 2008.

He also gave details of an interim report from Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell into data security across the whole of Government.

It has been suggested by the transport department that the latest DVLA data loss had emerged as a result of the review by Sir Gus.

While Ms Kelly gives details of the new data loss to the Commons at 1730, MPs on the public accounts committee will grill David Hartnett, acting chairman of HMRC, and Nick Lodge, HMRC’s director of data security about the loss of the child benefit disc.
Story from BBC NEWS

Published: 2007/12/17 16:57:13 GMT

Add this to the lost CD’s and the fact that the wrong personal details were put on letters apologising for losing the data and it seems that the government just can’t catch a break on data security.

Will

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