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Farmers' massive data loss another nail in the ID card coffin
November 4, 2009 5:27 PM
Liberal Democrats are pointing to yet another catastrophic loss of personal data by the Government to support its opposition to ID cards.
The National Audit Office has just revealed that thousands of farmers' bank account details have been lost by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) after the Government body lost two back-up tapes of confidential data belonging to all English farmers.
Computer tapes containing the bank details, addresses, passwords and security questions of more than 100,000 farmers were discovered missing in May this year, at which point DEFRA was alerted and then it took six months for the affected farmers to be notified.
Commenting on the loss Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for South East Cambridgeshire Jonathan Chatfield said:
"Yet again the Government has shown it cannot be trusted to keep our personal details safe.
"It beggars belief that civil servants took six months to inform farmers affected by this staggering loss.
"Ministers' reassurances won't wash with farmers' families already suffering under the chaotic payments regime.
"The Agency's bungling reinforces Liberal Democrat opposition to ID cards."
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