MPs call for greater data breach action, union warns on job cuts

A report published today by the House of Commons Justice Committee has called for greater powers and punishment for data security breaches, while the civil service union has said Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) job cuts will put data at more risk.

The committee of MPs is calling for more stringent criminal penalties for public sector contractors involved in the loss of sensitive personal data and stronger powers for the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO) to enforce current data protection and security legislation.

The Protection of Private Data report spoke of 'extreme concern' over the number of public sector data breaches that have recently come to light in National Health Service (NHS) trusts, the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and HMRC among other public sector agencies.

It said: "There is evidence of a widespread problem within government relating to establishing systems for data protection and operating them adequately."

The committee said new reporting laws should be introduced to force organisations to acknowledge major security breaches, joining the recommendations made last month by an interim Cabinet Office report on the HMRC breach to make civil servants criminally liable for negligent data security practices.

And it echoed calls from the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, for greater powers to perform spot check on government departments and companies. It also raised concerns about other data sharing plans, like the planned ID cards and children's databases.

"There must be a sensible balance between achieving the advantages that data sharing will provide and minimising the risks inherent in maintaining large databases to which a wide range of officials and others can gain access," said the report.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) representing civil servants also recently responded to the December interim report into the HMRC data loss, warning that job budget cuts were a major factor.

It called on the government to halt its job cutting agenda - of which 227 are planned to go from HMRC Information Management Services by March this year alone - or risk further data breaches.

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