A computer company that has lost personal information of around 100,000 Armed Forces personnel says there is no evidence of a security breach at the Hook office it disappeared from.

EDS, the second-biggest computer company in the world, could not find a removable hard drive containing the information at its Bartley Way complex after an audit and reported it to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on October 8.

It is said to have contained personal information including addresses, passport details and telephone numbers.

There has been no statement on whether it was stolen or misplaced but there is speculation it was misplaced when an office moved from one part of the complex to another.
 
A EDS spokesman said: “Following a data audit that we carried out under the terms of Cabinet Office’s Data Handling Review, we have been unable to account for a removable hard drive that was held in a secure location at our facility in Hook.

“We informed the MoD on Wednesday October 8 and we are working with them to investigate this, including to establish what may have been on the hard drive. There is no evidence that security at the site has been breached.”

It is understood the information on the drive was not encrypted and that it contained bank details among more than 1.5 million pieces of information including details of 600,000 potential recruits.

In previous lost data incidents the MoD has set up a helpline for concerned personnel. This time it has not, saying it does not know exactly what was on the site. 

Aldershot MP Gerald Howarth called the loss “the latest in a whole catalogue of failures by the government” and said it could put Armed Forces personnel at risk if it fell into the wrong hands.

The Shadow Defence Minister said: “This is just the latest in a whole catalogue of failures by the government and its agencies. What is wrong with these people? If the information were to fall into the wrong hands, like Muslim fundamentalists in Britain, it could put members of our Armed Forces at personal risk.

“They need reassurance that while they are away on operations their affairs are being properly handled. It’s important that their families at home are not subject to anxiety because of an inability to manage this data.
 
“It’s more evidence against the government’s case for ID cards. It shows the government’s complete incompetence for guarding the information of interest to them.”

An MoD spokesman said: “On October 8 we were informed by our contractor EDS that they were unable to account for a portable hard drive used in connection with the administration of Armed Forces personnel data.

“This came to light during a priority audit EDS are conducting to comply with the Cabinet Office data handling review. The MoD Police are investigating with EDS.”

The MoD will face an investigation by the information commissioner Richard Thomas, who is carrying out an inquiry.

A spokeswoman for the commissioner said: “There have to be adequate safeguards in place when protecting confidential data.”

In July officials said 658 MoD laptop computers had been stolen in the last four years and 26 portable memory sticks had been either stolen or misplaced since January.

On September 27 drives containing the personal information of RAF personnel were stolen from RAF Innsworth in Gloucestershire.