Telford & Wrekin Council in top ten for losing sensitive data

Telford & Wrekin Council was today named as one of the worst authorities in the country for losing sensitive documents.

There were 30 cases involving the possible loss of sensitive information over three years, making it the ninth worst offender for data loss, says privacy and civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. It claims councils across the country have lost private data on more than 1,000 occasions.

The information included details relating to children and vulnerable people in care, said the report.

Shropshire Council did not respond to the information request.

A Telford & Wrekin Council spokesman today said: "Telford & Wrekin Council takes information security very seriously and understands that it is about respecting the lives and the rights of the residents in our community and those that work for and with us.

"We believe that it is better to be open and transparent about these issues and we encourage our staff to report data breaches so that they can be properly assessed, thoroughly investigated where appropriate and we can learn from and not repeat our mistakes.

"We have information security policies that ensure that all information and our processing of that information is protected."

He added: "We know that 39 authorities did not respond to the request at all and 263 reported no data losses. In contrast, while one breach is one too many, this council is proactive, has tried and tested reporting systems and is aware at the highest level of even the smallest breach or potential breach."

In Telford, the losses involved 15 incidents where sensitive information was disclosed to an unauthorised third party, the theft of three laptop computers, one containing benefits application details, and the loss of two files containing sensitive and personal details.

There was also the loss of a dictaphone containing sensitive information.

A USB pen containing sensitive information was found in a car park, while another, which was encrypt- ed and did not contain sensitive information, was lost.

In another case a librarian's personal details were released. The council took action after the incidents, including moving data on to secure computer networks, reviewing the way records are managed and giving extra training to employees.

Big Brother Watch used the Freedom of Information Act to ask councils about information losses between July 2008 and July 2011.