To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many civil servants in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for (i) losing and (ii) deliberately disclosing (A) data stored on departmental equipment and (B) confidential information in each year since 1997; (242912)

In respect of deliberate disclosure of data and confidential information, there is a nil return for HM Treasury.

In respect of loss of data or confidential information and loss of departmental equipment, there have been less than five such cases within HM Treasury since 1997.

The equivalent information for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is contained in the following table and is for financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09. The figures given for loss include building and security passes as well as (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers, (iv) mobile telephones, tapes and discs, but the equipment concerned did not necessarily hold data. HMRC does not record loss of equipment or loss of data separately. Equivalent information was not recorded centrally by HMRC and its predecessor Departments for earlier periods.