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Probe into missing driver details 'No cover-up' on lost driver data
(about 3 hours later)
A US information technology company is investigating how a hard drive from the Driving Standards Agency went missing in its premises. The minister who knew that millions of drivers' records had gone missing in the US said he assumed his successor would hear about a probe into the loss.
Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly told MPs the drive held the names, addresses and phone numbers of three million driving theory test candidates. Stephen Ladyman was transport minister in May when the details, including names, addresses and phone numbers on a computer hard drive disappeared.
Pearson reported the loss to Iowa City police on Monday - about seven months after it had first known. Asked why the public was only told on Monday, he said: "I assumed the new minister would've been told about it.
"It doesn't look like a cover up to me - it looks like one of those things."
Mr Ladyman spoke out to defend his role a day after Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly appeared before the Commons to reveal that the details of three million candidates for the driving theory test had gone missing.
Sacked
It was the second time in a month that a minister has issued such an apology, following the loss by HM Revenue and Customs of discs containing 25m people's details.
Ms Kelly said the details of learner drivers had been formatted specifically to meet the security requirements of the private contractor, Pearson Driving Assessments Ltd, and were not "readily usable or accessible" by third parties.
I asked the DSA to ensure a thorough investigation, involving the police as necessary, took place Stephen LadymanEx-transport minister
She said the details were not sent in the post, but the hard drive had not been found where it had been expected to be, in a "secure facility" in Iowa.
Mr Ladyman said he was told about the problem by the chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency when he was a junior transport minister in the summer and immediately ordered an investigation.
He was sacked by Gordon Brown when he reshuffled the government after succeeding Tony Blair, and said he expected the civil service to inform his successor of the probe's outcome.
"I was told that Pearson, the company involved in Iowa, had reported to the DSA that a disc had been lost inside their secure facility," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
'Wait and see'
"In all likelihood it was a simple case of data room mismanagement, but they weren't taking any chances, so they had reported the matter to the DSA.
"I, of course, realising the significance of it, if the data had got into the wrong hands, ordered a thorough investigation, a review of their procedures and took advice as to whether it needed to be made public.
"Given that it looked in no possible way that this data had got into the wrong hands, the sensible thing to do was to wait until we had the results of the investigation.
"This was immediately before the reshuffle and before they could come back to me and tell me the results of their investigation, the reshuffle had taken place and I left office.
"My assumption was that they would come back and tell the minister who replaced me."
MISSING DRIVERS' DETAILS NameAddressPhone numberFee paidTest centrePayment codeE-mail where provided Analysis: Testing times for PM'No fraud' from lost discs
Asked if the hard drive had since been found, he said: "I have no idea because I left office before the investigations could come back to me. That's a matter that Pearsons will have to tell us."
Pearson, the company which owns the Financial Times newspaper and Penguin books, won a contract for testing learner drivers for the UK's Driving Standards Agency in 2003.
It reported the loss to Iowa City police on Monday - about seven months after it had first known.
Police said it was "unlikely" the drive would be found.Police said it was "unlikely" the drive would be found.
Iowa City police sergeant Troy Kelsey said an internal search had been carried out by the company initially.Iowa City police sergeant Troy Kelsey said an internal search had been carried out by the company initially.
"They scoured the premises. They do not believe that there was any criminal intent, if you will," he told BBC Radio 5 Live."They scoured the premises. They do not believe that there was any criminal intent, if you will," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
MISSING DRIVERS' DETAILS NameAddressPhone numberFee paidTest centrePayment codeE-mail where provided class="" href="/1/hi/uk_politics/7148770.stm">Analysis: Testing times for PM class="" href="/1/hi/uk_politics/7148842.stm">'No fraud' from lost discs 'No need for notification'
"There really wasn't any evidence that it had been stolen, but they could not locate the physical hard drive on their property and they were wanting to report it.""There really wasn't any evidence that it had been stolen, but they could not locate the physical hard drive on their property and they were wanting to report it."
He said there was no evidence that the data had been misused, but added he was not confident the drive would be found.He said there was no evidence that the data had been misused, but added he was not confident the drive would be found.
"At this point in time, enough time has gone by that's probably unlikely, but one never knows," he said."At this point in time, enough time has gone by that's probably unlikely, but one never knows," he said.
Apology HAVE YOUR SAY Yet another example of public information, in the wrong hands Carl Smith class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=3949&edition=1">Send us your comments
Ms Kelly apologised for the loss on Monday - the second time in a month that a minister has issued such an apology, following the loss by HM Revenue and Customs of discs containing 25m people's details.
Ms Kelly said the details of learner drivers had been formatted specifically to meet the security requirements of the private contractor, Pearson Driving Assessments Ltd, and were not "readily usable or accessible" by third parties.
The words Labour and incompetence are now synonymous. Theresa VilliersShadow transport secretary
She said the details were not sent in the post, but the hard drive had not been found where it had been expected to be, in a "secure facility" in Iowa.
The information commission had judged that the risks presented by the loss were not "substantial" and there was no need to notify each person individually.The information commission had judged that the risks presented by the loss were not "substantial" and there was no need to notify each person individually.
The details did not include bank account details, National Insurance numbers, driving licence numbers or dates of birth, she said. Unlike the lost child benefit data, the learner driver details did not include bank account details, National Insurance numbers, driving licence numbers or dates of birth, Ms Kelly said.
'Cost-cutting'
The Driving Standards Agency has set up a dedicated advice line for candidates who took their driving theory test between September 2004 and April 2007.The Driving Standards Agency has set up a dedicated advice line for candidates who took their driving theory test between September 2004 and April 2007.
Public and Commercial Services Union general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "This latest data loss by a private contractor in the US raises serious questions about the role of the private sector and the security of data. Public and Commercial Services Union general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "This latest data loss by a private contractor in the US raises serious questions about the role of the private sector and the security of data."
"The fear is that in a dash to cut costs, the government are contracting out sensitive work to unaccountable private companies, resulting in personal data being held by third parties half way across the globe."
He said the government should handle such data in-house to ensure it was secure.
Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said the data loss "shows a systemic failure within the government's data protection controls".
"Labour is failing in its duty to obey its own laws on data protection and failing in its primary and fundamental duty to protect the interests of the people it was elected to serve."