This failure won't obscure the government's failure for long
James Forsyth 8:36am
The failure of Steve McClaren’s England team last night has knocked the HMRC debacle off some off the front pages but it is certain that this story will be back. First, blaming some idiot junior member of staff—as Brown and Darling have been doing—just won’t cut it as a senior manager appears to have known that the full set of data was to be sent to the National Audit Office. Second, there has been a pattern of carelessness with people’s personal information at HMRC that the press are now turning their attention to. The Times reports this morning, The HMRC has a history of losing sensitive information on unencrypted CDs. This month it emerged that it had lost confidential data on more than 15,000 people after a CD-ROM was lost in transit as it was sent from its office to the Standard Life pensions department in Edinburgh. A further CD-Rom containing data on customers of an unnamed second company was also reportedly missing. The Information Commissioner is investigating the breach involving Standard Life. A spokesman for the company said yesterday that HMRC and the police had not been able to locate the discs.
In August a laptop that contained sensitive financial details of about 400 people with ISAs was stolen after being left in a car. In May HMRC posted details of the family tax credits of 42,000 families to other people after an apparent “printer error”. This story will still be running long after Steve McClaren has cleared his desk.
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Tiberius
November 22nd, 2007 9:45am Report this commentThe history of the FA since the 1970s is a demonstration of how an organization works when people who are not talented enough to do the job are running it- boys doing mens' work. Not appointing Brian Clough; being nut-megged by Don Revie; the botched announcement of Bobby Robson's departure; and the affair involving the prolonged departure of Sven. It's all a bit like New Labour, really.
Travis Bickle
November 22nd, 2007 11:21am Report this commentNever fear, the introduction of biometrics and British players for British Teams , all backed up by a totally secure National ID Database will be the proposed solution to both of these problems. Never mind that both solutions will make things much worse!
JH
November 22nd, 2007 11:47am Report this commentA tipping point has been reached. See Steve Bell's cartoon in today's Guardian - Brown and Darling ridiculed wearing vast Y-front underpants over their suits a la John Major. Its official - GB is John Major to TB's Thatch.
EyeSee
November 22nd, 2007 1:27pm Report this commentIt is a muddled organisation. It should be about quality and England winning games. Instead they pay hopeless fops £40,000 to turn up and the girls £40 (to play well). They ruthlessly deal with and fine small clubs (and kids) and let the big boys do what they want. Is there any wonder, at all that we find ourselves in the situation we are in? Poor old McLaren though, no one else who refuses to resign has been sacked (Ian Blair, Jacqui Smith, Darling, Brown)
David Lindsay
November 22nd, 2007 3:48pm Report this commentMuch opinion seems to be that the new England manager, or whatever he is now called, should look beyond the pampered, petulant, pretty-boy Premiership to the real talent in the Championship. Likewise, say I, we should be looking for parliamentarians from outside the pampered, petulant, pretty-boy Political Class, seeking them instead among those who, like Championship and non-league football clubs, has strong local bases, and close ties to wider civil society.
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