Remove the CD Burners!!! - Sack any ministers responsible for future data losses

10.06.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 3rd Dec 2007

John Hemming MP - "Government is supposed to serve the people not people serve the government."

In response to the revelations of more disk data losses, John Hemming MP, special adviser to Acting Lib Dem Leader Vince Cable on Data Security and Data Protection issues, has reiterated a call for government to stop using CD burners to transfer confidential data across government.

John said "There are simple and secure systems that can be used to transfer data. It may be convenient to pop it on a disk and trust it to a courier service. However, the government are not taking data protection issues seriously. Government is supposed to serve the people not people serve the government."

Continuing John said "Virtual Private Networks have been available for years. These, properly established, are secure systems for transferring data. It is important that encryption is used and adequate key lengths are used".

"Although it is possible to set up a VPN in a few hours it will take the government longer to get this right. In the mean time, however, disk transfer should only be used on ministerial authority."

"Minister admitted this week that they had not acted to prevent such losses from occurring. Any future risks should be under a ministerial signature with a ministerial head on the line if the data goes missing."

Note:

Housing Benefit Data Loss in Telegraph Government officials have halted the transfer of personal data of millions of people after admitting they have lost more computer discs.

The Department for Work and Pensions has suspended all "data exchanges" with local authorities because discs containing details of council tax and housing benefit claimants have been mislaid.