• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

‘Deeply worrying:’ Inquiry urged after number of devices used by Govt staff that go missing is revealed

“The Government has a responsibility to keep our data and country safe. It feels like they are failing at both.”

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2021-12-23 16:15
in News
Credit;PA

Credit;PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

The disappearance of 4,800 laptops, mobile phones and other devices used by Government staff over the last five years should be subject to an inquiry, ministers have been urged.

Liberal Democrat business spokesperson Sarah Olney said the amount of kit reported stolen or lost since the 2017 general election is “deeply worrying”.

The highest number of missing devices of any department was reported by the Ministry of Defence, with 1,483 pieces of tech having either been lost or stolen in that time.

The Cabinet Office, which includes the Prime Minister’s office, reported 553 missing or lost items.

Records of the missing devices, which also include USB sticks and external hard drives, were revealed after Ms Olney requested them from each UK Government department.

In total, 4,871 phones, laptops, USB sticks and hard drives were revealed to have been lost or stolen since 2017, though the Government has stressed all technology used by staff is encrypted to prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

The MoD did not have separate records for stolen or lost devices, but the largest number of items went missing in 2019, including 239 laptops, 106 mobile phones, 60 memory sticks and 25 external hard driver.

RelatedPosts

Boris Johnson is finally the most popular prime minister for something

Watch: Michael Fabricant’s appearance on First Dates is doing the rounds again

More strike action: Dockers will strike at Britain’s largest container port – reactions

Grass on the grass? Neighbours asked to report on hosepipe rule-breakers

In 2021, a smaller number of items have gone missing including 143 laptops, 25 mobile phones, 79 memory sticks, and 25 hard drives.

Defence minister Leo Docherty said “all departmental IT is fully security encrypted”, and added: “The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.”

Of the 553 items reported lost or stolen by the Cabinet Office, 181 were laptops and 372 were mobile phones.

The highest number of both items were reported missing in 2019, with 63 laptops and 136 phones lost or stolen in that year.

Context

Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis said the department encrypts the devices and he put the figures in the “context” of the department’s core staff of 9,248 people.

Of the other departments to reply to the Liberal Democrat’s questions, the Ministry of Justice reported 1,166 missing or stolen pieces of equipment, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy reported 453, and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport reported 322.

Ms Olney said: “It’s deeply worrying that so many government laptops and memory sticks have been lost or stolen in recent years.

“These devices could contain sensitive information about UK citizens or related to national security – information that could worryingly fall into the wrong hands.

“Ministers should launch an official inquiry into why this keeps happening and what risks this poses to us all.

“The Government has a responsibility to keep our data and country safe. It feels like they are failing at both.”

The Department for Education did not provide figures for how many pieces of equipment went missing, and said this could only be “obtained at disproportionate cost”.

The Department for Work and Pensions provided percentages instead of figures, adding the majority of the losses or thefts occurred in home or office break-ins and while travelling.

Related: WATCH: Public health school promotes Covid jab via Home Alone scene

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Interactive timeline tracking articles downplaying Covid and increasing number of deaths has been created

Birth of black hole ‘captured for first time’

‘Is that it?’: Seven reactions to Johnson’s sanctions that are tougher than the measures themselves

Another U-turn as Government ditches Covid-19 tracing app

Horrific CCTV captures married city worker dragging teenager to secluded area to rape her

Best reactions after another Govt u-turn…this time on tracing apps

Dominic Cummings to be named in employment tribunal case

The Flood: Touching and eye opening

Hinkley Point Gets The Green Light

Clueless drug dealer caught by police after he accidentally shot himself in the leg

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.