Loss of CDs "catastrophic"
- 00:02:45
- ITN
Loss of CDs "catastrophic"
Police are searching for two CDs at the centre of a massive security breach, which hold the personal details of 25 million people.They contain names, addresses, dates of birth, child benefit numbers, national insurance numbers and bank or building society account details of every family that gets child benefit.The "catastrophic" blunder by HM Revenue and Customs means that virtually every family in the UK with children under the age of 16 has been lost. This is believed to include Mr Brown and several other Cabinet members.Union leaders have called on the Government to halt its programme of job cuts in HMRC, which is due to see 12,500 posts axed by 2011, in the wake of the security scandal.Gordon Brown told MPs that there were differences between HMRC and the NAO about the exact information which had been requested by auditors.Edward Leigh, the Conservative chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said the NAO originally asked only for basic details about Child Benefit recipients - omitting information on personal bank accounts - but was told by "high level" officials that it would be "too burdensome" for HMRC to separate out this data.Mr Leigh later said he had been given a copy of a briefing note written by NAO head Sir John Bourn for the Chancellor, which indicated that senior HMRC officials authorised the release of sensitive information.The reason given for turning down the NAO request was that desensitising the information would require an extra payment to data services provider EDS, said Mr Leigh.Both HMRC and the NAO said they were unaware of any dispute.In a highly-charged Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, Mr Brown apologised for the loss of child benefit data by HM Customs and Revenue and said there was "no excuse for not following proper procedures".Tory leader David Cameron said the data loss was the latest in a series which showed there was "systemic failure" in HMRC.The Metropolitan Police is now leading the hunt for the package while Alistair Darling has ordered a probe into security procedures at HMRC and the Independent Police Complaints Commission is also investigating.The Cabinet Office confirmed that former HMRC chairman Paul Gray would receive his pension in full after resigning over the scandal on Tuesday.HM Revenue & Customs has set up a child benefit helpline on 0845 302 1444.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
ITN | November 21, 2007
