Disc with 15 million bank details lost

2:05pm Tuesday 20th November 2007

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THE details of 15 million child benefit recipients on computer discs have been lost by HM Revenue and Customs.

As a result the chairman of the organisation, Paul Gray, has resigned.

Revenue and Customs has released a statement in which it says it does not believe the records - names, addresses, date of birth and bank accounts - have fallen into the wrong hands.

Chancellor Alistair Darling is to give a Commons statement on what the Government has called "a major operational problem" at 3.30pm today.

St Albans MP Anne Main said: "I think this is incredibly worrying.

"It is sloppy beyond belief - an extremely worrying lapse of security.

"Its going to give access to details of some extremely vulnerable people like children, guardians and carers.

"I would like to know what measures are going to be put in place as an emergency measure to stop people's bank accounts being plundered and to stop people being defrauded repeatedly.

"They've known about this for 12 days and we should have been informed as a matter of emergency.

"This has left people exposed to being targeted for scams."

Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps added: "It's shocking to think the Government has lost 15 milllion records which include personal details like bank records. "This will further increase worries about the forthcoming ID card scheme which will hold a vast amount of personal information about every adult in Britain. "This fiasco shows it is time for the Government to scrap the ID card scheme."

Mr Darling is expected to outline the measures taken to protect those whose data has been lost.

The resignation of Mr Gray was accepted because discs had been transported in breach of rules governing data protection.

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