Information review will strengthen public data management systems

The Scottish Government has confirmed it is reviewing information security policies and data handling arrangements across Scotland in light of concerns raised following the temporary loss of pension benefit statements between the Galashiels based Scottish Public Pensions Agency and Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow. SNP MSP Christine Grahame welcomed the review and also the speedy manner in which the agency acted to track down the information and confirmed that she had also undertaken her own investigation to determine the extent of data loss from public bodies and councils across Scotland following the catastrophic loss of personal information by the UK Government covering half the UK population earlier this month. Ms Grahame said:

“The review announced by the Finance Secretary John Swinney is welcome and will ensure that information security procedures are adequately robust. The Scottish Government has moved quickly and instigated this review which will ensure that procedures are tightened up where needed.

“Whilst there are issues arising from the temporary loss of these details it is obvious that the incident is a million miles from the UK Government’s calamitous loss of information from the child benefit agency containing 25 million sets of details, almost half the UK population.

“Nonetheless it is imperative that the systems we have in place to process personal information should be looked at in detail to make sure they are fit for purpose today, tomorrow and in the years to come.

“I am pleased to note that SPPA together with NHS Health Boards made strenuous efforts to contact all those organisations where the packages had been sent. By last Sunday it was established that 161 of 162 items sent by SPPA had been accounted for. At 1.30pm after another examination of packages delivered to Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board the outstanding package sent by SPPA was located at its intended destination, Stobhill Hospital.

“In light of the wider public concerns that exist I have asked all public bodies in Scotland, including Councils, police, NHS boards and non-departmental public bodies to provide details on the number of incidents they have recorded involving the loss of personal information or data over the last five years. That should give us a clear indication of the robustness of existing information security protocols and identify which agencies and public bodies require to upgrade their security arrangements.”

SNP It’s time.....