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Welsh council loses 'confidential' child details

Kable

Published: 29 Dec 2008 09:10 GMT

Neath Port Talbot Council has confirmed that one of its employees has lost a memory stick containing confidential information.

The south Wales council has launched an investigation into the loss of the device which, according to the BBC, contained information about vulnerable children. One foster carer told the broadcaster that the information could put children at risk.

In a statement to GC News, Andrew Thomas, head of support services and commissioning education and life-long learning at the council, said: "Neath Port Talbot Council has launched an internal investigation following the loss by a staff member of a memory stick containing confidential information."

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"It is inappropriate for us to make any further comment until the investigation has been concluded. Action has been taken to inform the relevant authorities," said Thomas.

Earlier this month, Leeds City Council issued an apology after losing a memory stick containing unencrypted details of 5,000 nursery children. The memory stick contained names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, child-protection information, ethnicity and whether the parents concerned are claiming benefits.

In November, prime minister Gordon Brown said the government can never guarantee the security of sensitive data, after a memory stick containing passwords for the Department for Work and Pension's Government Gateway service was left in a pub car park by an Atos Origin employee.