'Culture of carelessness': A computer a day goes missing in Whitehall



Since the start of 2002 nearly 3,000 computers have been lost or stolen across Whitehall

More than one Government computer goes missing every day, ministers have admitted.

Since the start of 2002 nearly 3,000 computers have been lost or stolen across Whitehall, which equates to eight every week.

In total 1,774 laptop computers and 1,035 desktop computers have been lost or stolen, a rate of nearly five a week and three a week respectively.

This year alone 238 laptops and 40 desktops have gone missing.

The past seven years have also seen 676 mobile phones, 202 hard drives and 195 memory sticks lost or stolen.

The worst offender is the Ministry of Defence, which handles some of the most sensitive information in Government. It has had 866 laptops stolen and has lost 178 - more than half the total of missing laptops.

The MoD is losing laptops at a rate of nearly three a week and has also had 157 desktops stolen and lost seven.

The Department of Work and Pensions, which processes details of millions of bank accounts, national insurance contributions and benefit and pension payments, is not far behind.

The DWP has had 828 desktops mislaid or stolen - 80 per cent of all those lost to the Government since 2002 - as well as 271 laptops.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Paul Holmes, who obtained the figures through Parliamentary questions, said: ' Everyone understands that things go astray but it is truly staggering that over the past seven years a laptop has been lost every working day across government.

'It demonstrates a culture of carelessness across Whitehall that ministers have done nothing to curtail.

'There must be serious concerns about what kind of sensitive data is on the thousands of computers that have gone missing.

'This is yet more evidence that the Government cannot be trusted with our personal information.

'There is no reason to think they will be any less slapdash with the intrusive ID cards database or the Big Brother phone call log.'

Research suggests Government departments have lost sensitive data potentially affecting more than four million people in recent months.



The worst scandal was the loss of two discs containing the personal details of 25million benefit claimants, which emerged in November last year.

A review has since found that the loss of data by HM Revenue and Customs was 'entirely avoidable'.

One unencrypted laptop lost by the Ministry of Defence held 620,000 personal records for applicants to the Armed Forces.

It also contained information on 450,000 people named as referees or next-of-kin by would-be servicemen and women.

The Cabinet Office says a review of data handling has put in place 'mandatory safeguards' to make information more secure.

The head of the Civil Service, Sir Gus O'Donnell, has admitted there has to be a 'fundamental change in culture' among staff processing people's personal information.



