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Questions asked after data loss Firm 'broke rules' over data loss
(about 8 hours later)
The loss of thousands of criminals' details has prompted a demand by the Information Commissioner's Office for "searching questions" to be answered. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has blamed a private contractor for losing the details of thousands of criminals, held on a computer memory stick.
The missing memory stick includes un-encrypted details about 10,000 prolific offenders and data on all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales. Ms Smith said the government had held the data securely but PA Consulting appeared to have downloaded it, contrary to the rules of its contract.
Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said he was "absolutely horrified" by the loss and "government incompetence". She told the BBC it was "completely unsatisfactory" and an inquiry was underway. The firm had no comment.
The Home Office said a full investigation was being conducted. The Tories have accused ministers of a "massive failure of duty".
A spokesman said the data was lost by private company PA Consulting and was "held in a secure format on site and downloaded onto a memory stick for processing - which has since been lost". Speaking from her constituency, she said she was "concerned and disappointed" that the memory stick had apparently been "mislaid"
PA Consulting has searched its premises and looked at CCTV recordings in an attempt to recover the missing memory stick. Searching questions must be answered about what safeguards were in place David Smith, Information Commissioner's Office Risk assessment
It the latest in a string of lost data incidents for the government, including stolen laptops, lost computer discs and memory sticks and files left on trains. "This was data that was being held in a secure form, but was downloaded onto a memory stick by an external contractor," she said.
This time, the Home Office was first told by PA Consulting on Monday that the data might be missing. "It runs against the rules set down both for the holding of government data and set down by the external contractor and certainly set down in the contract that we had with the external contractor."
The contractor confirmed on Tuesday it had failed to uncover the memory stick, but it was not clear how it came to be lost. RECENT LOSSES Nov 2007: 25m people's child benefit details, held on two discsDec 2007: 7,685 Northern Ireland drivers' details Dec 2007: 3m learner drivers' details lost in USJan 2008: 600,000 people's details lost on Navy officer's stolen laptopJune 2008: Six laptops holding 20,000 patients' details stolen from hospitalJuly 2008: MoD reveals 658 laptops stolen in four years class="" href="/1/hi/business/7576572.stm">When financial data goes missing
The data on the stick also includes information from the Police National Computer of some 30,000 people with six or more convictions in the last year. A risk assessment was being carried out about the data that was missing, alongside the internal inquiry into what had happened, she said.
Details of serving prisoners included names, addresses, dates of birth and in come cases release dates. And no more information was being passed to the firm while the investigation continued and the government was "reviewing the terms of that contract and other contracts" with PA Consulting.
The transfer of further data to PA Consulting on the project has been suspended pending the investigation. The memory stick contained un-encrypted details about 10,000 prolific offenders as well as names, dates of births and some release date of all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales - and 33,000 records from the police national computer.
'Toxic liability' 'Horrified'
The Conservatives say the Home Office appears "incapable" of keeping data secure and warn criminals may seek compensation.
PA Consulting has searched its premises and looked at CCTV recordings in an attempt to recover the missing memory stick - a commonly used portable storage device for computer files.
The company was handed data as part of a research project on tracking offenders through the criminal justice system.
WHAT IS A MEMORY STICK? Also called USB sticks or flash drivesHave almost completely replaced computer disksUsed to carry and transfer data easilyData stored on tiny chip instead of magnetic disk as with hard drivesHolds up to 32 gigabytes of data, equivalent to 32,000 large booksA £1 stick could hold more than 10 pages of data on each prisoner
Government departments were ordered to tighten up their security procedures after the loss of two discs containing personal details of every child benefit claimant in November.
But shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said the latest data loss showed the Home Office was "entirely incapable of keeping it secure".
And he said there was a serious risk that if criminals' details were found by a third party, they could sue the government for compensation.
"It is ultimately the Home Office's responsibility to maintain the security of this material," he added.
Adequate safeguards
PA Consulting is one of the companies that has been involved in developing the government's controversial ID card scheme - opposed by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said: "The government will no doubt seek to blame private contractors, but the rash of data losses over the last two years confirm that there is something much more worrying at stake: this government cannot keep any information safe."
David Smith, Deputy Commissioner in the Information Commissioner's Office, said the latest loss showed that personal information could be a "toxic liability" if not handled properly.David Smith, Deputy Commissioner in the Information Commissioner's Office, said the latest loss showed that personal information could be a "toxic liability" if not handled properly.
"It is deeply worrying that after a number of major data losses and the publication of two government reports on high profile breaches of the Data Protection Act, more personal information has been reported lost," he said."It is deeply worrying that after a number of major data losses and the publication of two government reports on high profile breaches of the Data Protection Act, more personal information has been reported lost," he said.
He added that data protection needed to be taken seriously at all levels and sensitive information, such as prisoner records, held securely at all times. Labour MP and chairman of the home affairs select committee Keith Vaz told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he hoped the government had put adequate safeguards in place.
Mr Smith said: "We expect the Home Office to provide us at the Information Commissioner's Office with a copy of the [internal investigation] report and its findings. "If you hand out memory sticks almost like confetti to companies and ask them to do research for you, then you have to be absolutely certain... that the company concerned has put in practice procedures which will be just as robust as the procedures that I hope the government has followed," he said.
"We will then decide what further action may be appropriate. Searching questions must be answered about what safeguards were in place to protect this information." A spokesman for PA Consulting refused to comment.
Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said the Home Office "has a habit of doing this".
He said: "It's entrusted with a great deal of highly confidential material and it seems to be entirely incapable of keeping it secure.
"And the consequences are very serious. They're serious because it may lead to the identity of the people involved being revealed."
"One of the possible consequences is that they [criminals] will bring legal actions against the government and the taxpayer will then have to pay damages to people, who appear to be pretty undeserving, because of the government's incompetence."
A spokesman for PA Consulting refused to comment on the data loss at the Home Office.
Earlier this month the BBC apologised after a memory stick containing the personal details of hundreds of children who had applied to take part in a TV show was stolen from a vehicle.Earlier this month the BBC apologised after a memory stick containing the personal details of hundreds of children who had applied to take part in a TV show was stolen from a vehicle.
On Tuesday, a BBC analysis found sensitive data potentially affecting more than four million people had been lost by government departments in the year to April.On Tuesday, a BBC analysis found sensitive data potentially affecting more than four million people had been lost by government departments in the year to April.
Cases included the loss of the National Insurance numbers of 17,000 people and the theft of a laptop with encrypted details of 17,000 Sats markers.
The details of 25 million child benefit claimants vanished last year.
The incident led to the recommendation that government departments should give details of personal data losses.