To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many notifications (a) his Department and (b) its agencies made to the Information Commissioner following the loss or mishandling of personal information or data in each of the last three years; and what was notified in each case. (222901)

The Ministry of Defence including its agencies has published details of the personal data related incidents notified to the Information Commissioner's Office in 2007-08 in its Annual Report and Accounts published on 21 July 2008. Two such incidents were notified.

During 2005-06 the Department formally reported one incident of accidental disclosure of protected personal data to the Information Commissioner's Office.

As a result of a limited failure by an automatic mailing machine, three members of the Army Regular or Long Term Reserve received copies of letters containing personal details of other reservists': name and address; next of kin name and address; marital status and date of marriage; the name and nationality of spouse; and bank account number, account title and sort code.

Letters of apology were sent to the reservists whose personal data were disclosed without consent.

I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June 2008, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in Government.