Requires inquiry after 2,000 Authorities gadgets misplaced or stolen in final yr

Greater than 2,000 Authorities gadgets, together with laptops and cell phones, have been misplaced or stolen during the last 12 months, new figures present.

Ministers are dealing with calls to launch an inquiry into the lacking and stolen expertise, which additionally consists of laborious drives and exterior reminiscence sticks.

The statistics, revealed by written parliamentary inquiries to completely different Authorities departments, present the Ministry of Defence was answerable for misplacing the biggest variety of gadgets.

A complete of 383 gadgets have been both misplaced or stolen from the division, with the Ministry of Justice recording the second largest variety of misplaced gadgets, with 225 laptops and 51 cell phones misplaced or stolen.

Justice minister Mike Freer mentioned his division treats all losses and thefts “significantly and have processes in place to make sure that when a tool is reported as misplaced or stolen, motion is taken instantly to disable the gadget”.

Two Authorities departments arrange in February this yr have already skilled a number of losses and thefts of gadgets.

The Division for Science, Innovation and Expertise has misplaced 26 cell phones because it was created, whereas the Division for Vitality Safety and Internet Zero has misplaced 76 telephones and 14 laptops.

In whole, 1,024 telephones, 889 laptops and 119 exterior laborious drives or reminiscence sticks have been misplaced throughout all Authorities departments during the last 12 months.

The Authorities spent no less than £944,092 changing the misplaced gadgets, though some departments refused to present a determine as a result of ‘disproportionate price’ of doing so.

And others just like the Division for Transport gave estimated value ranges of the gadgets which had been misplaced or stolen.

The Liberal Democrats, who submitted the inquiries to the Authorities, have known as for an pressing inquiry into the quantity of gadgets misplaced, to seek out out if any information threat has been brought about.

The celebration’s Treasury spokesperson, Sarah Olney, mentioned: “These gadgets might include delicate details about UK residents or associated to nationwide safety – info that might worryingly fall into the incorrect arms.

“Ministers ought to launch an official inquiry into why this retains occurring and what dangers this poses to us all.

“The Authorities has a accountability to maintain our information and nation protected. It appears like they’re failing at each.”

An identical collection of questions from the Lib Dems in 2021 revealed that 4,800 laptops, cell phones and different gadgets had been stolen or misplaced between that yr and the 2017 common election.