This started a few days ago, but has been bouncing around the news here since. To be fair, it's pretty major.

HM Revenue and Customs have lost two discs, on which was held the personal details of every family in the UK receiving child benefits (i.e. every family with a child under 16). This includes names, addresses, national insurance numbers, and even bank details for over 25 million individuals.

This puts all of these people at risk of identity fraud, and HMRC has (understandably) come under a lot of fire for this. The chairman of HMRC has resigned, and both Alistair Darling (Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Gordon Brown (Prime Minister) have issued apologies, but that doesn't really solve the problem. the blunder is being blamed on junior officials ignoring procedure, but the fact is that the information wasn't even encrypted.

Does anyone have any opinions on this? Are any of you affected? I know that my family's information is certainly included in that which has been lost.

Heads are going to roll, lots of heads.
This is a major disaster in the making. The best they can hope for is that the disks were accidentally destroyed or are returned.
If I were you, I'd start changing bank account numbers ASAP if not sooner.

Yeah, I think my parents changed theirs as soon as the news came out.
But heads will roll.

Frankly, I think that it's high time that the information security used by the British government was overhauled. This kind of thing wouldn't happen in other countries, but here we're so obsessed with tax cuts that vital things like this get neglected. I just hope that the Torys don't get into power now. If that happens, basic public services (like not losing personal details) will get even worse.

There is probably going to be lineups at the banks with people demanding different numbers on their accounts, and credit cards.
Wonder what they will do with people in witness protection? Would that info be on the disc?
But Dom is right heads will roll.

It does happen in other countries. Just with the UK being small it affects more people. Canada and the states it would affect one state and one province but no further in the normal running of things.

True enough, lessa, but look at some of this:

BBC NEWS | UK | 'Our information was put at risk' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7106336.stm)

And whilst I don't think that the lost data does include details of witness protection, it's a frightening possibility that it might.

If it did, I dont think they would admit that. That would be plain stupid to admit something. Like beyond stupidity sort of stupid.

A major blunder here, and one thats really pretty inexcusable. How did it happen?

They've blamed a junior official ignoring procedure, and neither encrypting the information, or sending the discs by recorded delivery. But what you have to wonder at is the fact that they were stupid enough to put all of the records on two discs...

I used to work in the government and something that important should have been sent sealed and by internal mail not recorded delivery.

The thing is as well with government organisations is that they push so much for 'empowerment' and for getting the lowest of the workers to reach up and to do things for themselves while the higher ranking employees sit on their backsides drinking coffee and congratulating themselves on how well their particular office is doing. Then when things like this go wrong they blame the person who they empowered to do the job while they are receiving the money for those jobs.

It's the same in any government office, when everything works well the big wigs are responsible and when it doesn't, the lowest of rank are.

I've seen it happen too many times and I'm glad to no longer be a part of it.

I agree Sayso. I don't really see how they can just sack a junior official for it, who at 23 years old has probably only been there for a year or so. Heads are going to have to roll higher up for this. It's a monumental failure, and the bigwigs can't really wash their hands of the matter.

My mam was fuming when she heard about this as that puts her details in the loop aswell. My dad has me convinced it is part of the Nazi's plan and I don't give a crap really. However, I do think that Gorden Brown's chances of staying in parliment for much longer is slipping even more. I say go Cameron!

I say go Cameron!

If that moron gets into power, I'm emmigrating.

If that moron gets into power, I'm emmigrating.
It's worse than you think. They allow morons to vote.

This issue has nothing to do with tax cuts, or the Tories. It's a simple human failing at several levels. It happens all of the time in all walks of life. Processes don't prevent mistakes, as much as we'd like to think they could. Doesn't matter whether it's Labour or the Tories or someone else in power, mistakes happen. When people are able to collect all of that data in one place, while not inevitable, the likelihood of it being misplaced shouldn't surprise anyone. This is what people have been saying for a long time, including in the debate about identity cards, but of course we're always being told that lessons have been learned since the last balls-up and measures put in place. As long as there are people involved, there will be mistakes.

Cheers,
Rob

If that moron gets into power, I'm emmigrating. bit harsh but I'll see ya later. :pDoesn't matter whether it's Labour or the Tories or someone else in power, mistakes happen. aye, I kow that, but it all adds up. the more mistakes made when Labour is in power, the more votes they lose. Me and my Granddad reckon it won't be long before Tories come into power to be honest. Who knows.
Heather

And then the apocalypse will begin.

Seriously heather, I think that the Torries would make a bigger mess. Rob is right; it's just human error. But where Brown accepts that, and just goes about governing, I feel Cameron would just try and spin his way out of it like Blair did. That was the one of the things I didn't like about Blair's government. Even after getting into office, he ran his party like the opposition. Everything was about making Labour look good, and the Tories look bad, rather than governing and doing the best for the people. That is why I think that Brown has been a good and welcome change, and why Cameron would be such a disaster (since he really is a moron, as well).

i wouldn't say Brown has been change, he afterall did have a big influence and was a major part of the last government. I think Brown has a subtler type of spin that isn't as obvious as Blair's. I watched him make a few cheap points at prime ministers question time, and have went off him. I say screw labour and tories, vote lib dem :P

I agree :p But give the current acting leader the permanent top job. He's been really good, and the two candidates aren't particularly inspiring...