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| Loan application forms go missing | Loan application forms go missing |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Hundreds of forms containing personal and confidential information about members of the public were lost by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). | Hundreds of forms containing personal and confidential information about members of the public were lost by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). |
| Staff in Sheffield have been told that 800 budgeting loan applications have been lost in transit between Sheffield and Newcastle. | Staff in Sheffield have been told that 800 budgeting loan applications have been lost in transit between Sheffield and Newcastle. |
| In an email, DWP staff were told that customers had been querying the status of their missing applications. | In an email, DWP staff were told that customers had been querying the status of their missing applications. |
| Depots of courier company TNT are being searched for the missing parcels. | Depots of courier company TNT are being searched for the missing parcels. |
| 'Extremely concerned' | 'Extremely concerned' |
| Interest-free budgeting loans are available to people who claim benefits such as income support so they can spread the cost of one-off expenses, such as household appliances. | Interest-free budgeting loans are available to people who claim benefits such as income support so they can spread the cost of one-off expenses, such as household appliances. |
| Lee Rock, from the civil service union PCS, told BBC Look North the forms contained applicants' names, addresses, dates of birth, National Insurance numbers and bank details. | Lee Rock, from the civil service union PCS, told BBC Look North the forms contained applicants' names, addresses, dates of birth, National Insurance numbers and bank details. |
| He said the loss of the forms was "outrageous" and urged anyone who had applied for a budgeting loan in recent weeks to contact the DWP. | He said the loss of the forms was "outrageous" and urged anyone who had applied for a budgeting loan in recent weeks to contact the DWP. |
| In a statement, the DWP said: "Clearly we are extremely concerned that these payments have been delayed and we are striving to ensure no one is in hardship because of what has occurred. | In a statement, the DWP said: "Clearly we are extremely concerned that these payments have been delayed and we are striving to ensure no one is in hardship because of what has occurred. |
| "We are carrying out extensive checks with TNT to track down the whereabouts of the claims concerned." | "We are carrying out extensive checks with TNT to track down the whereabouts of the claims concerned." |
| Missing discs | |
| The loss comes two months after HM Revenue and Customs lost discs containing the details of 25 million people. | |
| The discs, which contain the entire child benefit database, were sent by courier to the National Audit Office in October - but they did not arrive. | |
| Police are still looking for them. | |
| And on Tuesday the Driver and Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland said it had lost the personal details of 6,000 people. | |
| The data was on two discs and went missing after being sent to the agency's headquarters in Swansea. |