THOUSANDS AT RISK IN BENEFIT BLUNDER

12.00.00am GMT Wed 21st Nov 2007

Over ten thousand families in the Romsey constituency, will have to keep a close check on their bank accounts after the biggest security blunder in history led to the personal details of 25 million fathers, mothers and children being lost by the Whitehall department responsible for all tax and benefits

The records included the name of the recipient and of their children, their addresses and dates of birth, child benefit numbers, national insurance numbers and, where relevant, bank or building society account details - all the facts that fraudsters need to illegally remove money from banks..

Local MP Sandra Gidley said:

"It is beggar's belief that anyone could think it is acceptable to entrust such sensitive data to an untracked postal system

"The Government just simply cannot be trusted with people's personal information. If this is true in HMRC with Child Benefit, what is going to happen when all our medical histories are on a single NHS computer that can be accessed by millions of people up and down the country?

"This debacle also places a large question mark over the Governments plans to introduce ID cards.

Notes to Editors

The HMRC has set up a Child Benefit Helpline on 0845 302 1444 for customers who have concerns. Their website will also contain key advice - www.hmrc.gov.uk.

Some useful websites that provide general advice for customers and will contain some information specific to this issue are www.banksafeonline.org.uk, www.cardwatch.org.uk and www.identitytheft.org.uk.

10,205 families in the Romsey constituency received child benefit in respect of 18,575 children under the age of 16.- Figures from HMRC August 2006