Written question asked by Viscount Astor (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Davies of Oldham (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 December 2007.

Revenue and Customs: Loss of CDs

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the compact disc lost by HM Revenue and Customs en route from Newcastle to Edinburgh containing information on 15,000 Standard Life customers was encrypted; and

Answer: On 13 November HMRC initiated immediate increased security with a new process: transfers will now only take place if they are absolutely necessary; written authorisation for the transfer has to be given by a senior HMRC manager; and a clear instruction has been given regarding the appropriate standard of protection for the transfer. Where directors decide that a data transfer by disc is unavoidable such media must, in every case, be securely encrypted at the appropriate level. On 20 November the Chancellor announced an independent review of HMRC's data-handling procedures to be conducted by Kieran Poynter, the chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 198; 696 c203-4WA
Session: 2007-08
Subjects: Data protection Databases Personal records Lost property Security Standard Life Assurance Revenue and Customs
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk