Brent PCT Has Highlighted Shocking Government Carelessness - Teather

9.46.58am GMT Thu 6th Mar 2008

Sarah Teather wants the Government to keep her constituents' personal information safe

Following Brent Primary Care Trust's loss of almost 400 patient records stored on a laptop computer, Liberal Democrat Brent MP Sarah Teather has discovered that a slapdash attitude to protecting electronic equipment is endemic within the Government.

Since 2001 the Department of Health have lost 151 laptops, 146 mobile phones and 18 personal digital assistants. The Government have not said what was stored on each missing laptop. In Brent, the lost data included information relating to individual patients names, addresses and medical diagnosis.

In total, Government departments have lost over 500 laptops since 2001, although the actual figure is likely to be much higher because some of the largest departments, including Defence, the Home Office and the Foreign Office have not answered Sarah's questions.

Local Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather said:

"The incident in Brent seems to have been just the tip of the iceberg. Our Primary Care Trust have helped expose the Labour Government's absolutely shameful record of recklessness with people's personal data.

"Local people suffering from sweeping cuts to local NHS services will be furious to hear that the Department of Health takes so little care with expensive electronic equipment. The taxpayer should not be paying for Government carelessness.

"If these laptops contained personal information on members of the public then ministers must own up. People in Brent need to know that when they hand over personal information to Government departments, it will be kept safe."

Related Links:

Sarah's questions in the House of Commons.

Brent PCT announcement of lost computers.