Des Browne admits 658 MoD laptops have been stolen

21 July 2008

Des Browne admits 658 MoD laptops have been stolen Des Browne admits 658 MoD laptops have been stolen

Twice as many Ministry of Defence (MoD) laptops have been stolen over the last four years than previously thought, it has been revealed.

Defence secretary Des Browne, in a written answer to MPs, confessed that 658 laptops had been stolen from the MoD since 2004.

A further 89 were misplaced, with only 32 being rediscovered, he admitted.

Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather, who posed the parliamentary question, said: "It seems that this government simply cannot be trusted with keeping sensitive information safe. It is frightening to think that secret MoD information can be lost or stolen."

"This shows a shocking degree of incompetence across the entire government."

According to a MoD spokesperson, all losses of data are "investigated fully".

He added that a recent report on data losses by Sir Edmund Burton found that MoD policies and procedures were "generally fit for purpose" although a number of improvements could be made.

Last week Armed Forces minister Bob Ainsworth admitted 121 memory sticks, some of which stored sensitive information, had also gone missing.

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