Lost MoD drive held details on 1.7 million

A drive which went missing from the Ministry of Defence may have held details on 1.7 million people who wanted to join the forces.

The drive, reported missing last week by IT contractor EDS, was used with a recruitment system.

Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said that "in the worst case" the drive could hold details of 1.7 million people. For casual inquirers this would be no more than their name and contact details.

"But for those who applied to join the forces, more extensive personal data may be held," Ainsworth said in a written statement to parliament.

In some cases this would include data such as bank details, passport, National Insurance and National Health Service numbers, driver's licence information and details of next of kin.

Ainsworth said EDS believed it unlikely the data was encrypted, as the drive had been held in a secure area at its premises in Hook, Hampshire.

He said banks had been informed so they could monitor accounts for unauthorised access.

The MoD had also set up a helpline for those afraid they may be affected.

The loss came to light after EDS conducted an audit of its data-handling procedures to comply with new government guidelines brought in after details of 25 million child benefit claimants were lost by the Revenue and Customs department.

The Liberal Democrats said the latest loss was a scandal.

"This information is a potential goldmine for organised crime and could even compromise national security," said LibDem Shadow Defence Secretary Nick Harvey.

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