Ombudsman slams departments' data bungle

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, found that the three departments had incorrectly changed the address of a woman, known as Ms M. The information was then disclosed to her former partner and her child support payments were reduced without her knowledge. After the initial error, her details were changed across a network of government computer systems that linked the records of the three departments. In her report on the incident , A Breach of Confidence, the ombudsman says that it took an investigation by the ombudsman for the three departments to accept responsibility and put things right. It also says that the incident shows how easily public confidence in government agencies can be lost. It will never be possible to understand fully what happened, however, because there is no audit trail that runs through the network of computers between the three bodies. "Each of the agencies blamed another for the original mistake and took the view that, as the mistake had been disseminated by 'the system' it was not their responsibility and there was nothing they could do," says the report. The computer systems which handled Ms M's case were HM Revenue and Customs' citizens identity database, the national insurance recording system and the national tax credit system, and the Department for Work and Pensions' customer information system and departmental central index. "There is an important warning here for all public bodies," Abraham added. "The lessons from Ms M's experience and my investigation are not only about information sharing. Public bodies need to learn to get their administration right, to be customer-focused, be open and accountable and to work together to put things right when mistakes occur." A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "Due to our statutory duty of taxpayer confidentiality we can't comment on this individual case, but this is an unusual and rare case and we have taken immediate steps to prevent this happening again. "We have accepted all the recommendations contained in the Ombudsman's report and are working together to make sure they are implemented."