Freedom of Information

An honourable mention, if you please, for Paul Grey, the head of HM Revenue and Customs, who has resigned over the loss of the "personal details of virtually every child in the UK" and "the national insurance numbers, and in some cases the bank details, of parents claiming child benefits". The information was stored on two discs - a highly centralised database, and thus precisely the sort of thing the National Identity Register is being set up to prevent - which were sent by courier from HMRC to the National Audit Office, and failed to reach their destination. It seems someone failed to follow the rules, which could never happen at the National Identity Register. Even if it did, they could always ensure greater data protectivity by installing a few more cameras.

Although the data was sent out on 18 October, Gordon's little Darling has found no evidence that it has "reached the wrong hands", and has apparently not found it necessary to assure anyone that the data was properly encrypted. The Metropolitan Police are investigating the matter: something the National Identity Register would help them to do more efficiently. Since we have not heard anything about the children on the database being social parasites, spawn of single mothers and illegal immigrants, and quite possibly recipients of terroristic grooming in the manner recently popularised by the head of MI5, it appears that Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, is not a close acquaintance or adviser of Paul Grey.