Insert Oscar Wilde quote here, if you wish: “A new fraud alert was issued by the government this weekend as it confirmed that it had lost another computer disc containing the personal financial details of 40,000 housing benefit claimants.”

…”In a separate incident, it was disclosed this weekend that another disc containing the bank details, salaries, National Insurance numbers and home addresses of more than 6,500 public sector workers has also been lost.”

Maybe we can send them all a letter of apology that also contains confidential information.

Seriously, it has to be clear now that the institutional governance mechanisms regarding the safeguarding of personal information have broken down, if indeed they were functional previously. This is all a flagrant violation of the Data Privacy Act. These are all, essentially, crimes.

Government needs to put down tools, get together in a large room, and talk through the implications. To have three further incidents after what happened at HMRC is devastating–as devastating as the first incident, as it means there has been no response. (The third incident I refer to is the letter of appology sent out by HMRC which contained confidential information).

Perhaps it is time to revive TrainerNet–junior employees with trainers who hand carry data discs to the proper destination. But HM Government (as a whole, not as differing bodies) needs to come up with a data transmission protocol that protects our personal information from people who will steal it and injure our reputations, cost us money and time, and have a serious negative impact on our lives. That is what is at stake here. Government is seriously prejudicing the quality of life for half the population. What good are they doing that can overcome this?