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Revenue and Customs: Data Loss

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for repeating the Statement. When this issue first came to light in early November I tabled a number of Questions for Written Answer. The Minister kindly replied to them last week. In doing so, he jumbled the five Questions together in one Answer. On looking at it, it was quite clear why that had happened—the reply failed to answer the two crucial questions that I had sought to ask. First, I asked how many discs had been lost. I received no reply to that in the Minister’s Written Answer. Secondly, I asked whether all the discs that had been lost were encrypted. I think I received an answer saying that they were but, in the light of what one has read and heard, I wonder whether that statement is accurate. Will the Minister go back to his department and check that he has not been given misleading information? It is beholden on the Treasury and its Ministers to answer questions properly. I know that the Minister will agree with me and I am sorry that he has been let down by his colleagues. Will he press on his colleagues the need to give adequate answers to the questions I have asked and remind them that they are answerable to Parliament?