| MP To Grill Taxman Over Missing Discs |
| Friday, 30 November 2007 | |
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MP John Pugh as a member of Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons is to interview Inland Revenue bosses on the loss of discs containing 25 million people's data. Any constituent in receipt of child benefit who has seen any suspicious activity involving their personal or bank details is urged to get in touch. The National Audit Office, who report to the Public Accounts Committee and attend every meeting, were the body who should have received the missing discs. The MP, who has received a copy of all the e-mails between the Inland Revenue and the Audit Office concerning the discs prior to their loss, comments " I am surprised at the extent to which the technical side of passing on the files rather than the security side was stressed. The only substantial bar to criminal copying and use of the information is the fact that they are only accessible with a password which was to be sent on on receipt of the discs. As the discs never arrived no-one outside the Inland Revenue will know what it is. However passwords can be cracked and concerns are not over. Even if the discs are found that may be no guarantee they haven't been copied." |