Strike-hit Swansea accused of data security lapse

Computer discs containing confidential financial and personal details relating to housing benefits claims have been left unsecured by contractors covering for striking IT workers at Swansea council, according to new claims from trade union Unison.

The indefinite strike by 102 IT staff over a proposed £100m outsourcing of the council's IT to the private sector has become increasingly bitter and is now in its fifth week.

The security lapse was discovered last week by a council employee who took photographs and then notified Unison. The photos show stacks of computer discs and tapes clearly visible in an open safe.

The union said the discs and tapes in the safe contain around six years worth of housing benefits data including personal financial information, changes in circumstances and other personal data such as marital status and details of children.

IT staff said the safe was left locked and in a secure state by IT staff prior to the strike commencing. IT cover is being provided by contractors through Sanderson Recruitment and Spring Group, according to the union.

Unison said the lapse is "unacceptable and unprofessional" A statement said: "This safe should never, under any circumstances, be left in this unsecured state."

But Swansea council has hit back at the claims and said there was never any risk of the data on the discs and tapes being compromised.

A spokesman said: "These allegations will be looked into as part of an on-going audit. There was no risk that the data contained on these discs could have been published. To suggest otherwise is misleading and scaremongering. It is impossible to meaningfully view the content of the discs without access to both the back-up device on which the discs were created, and also through the use of specialist software purchased by the council, to which only a limited number of staff have access."

A fresh row has also broken out over the council's claims of "business as usual" with regard to the authority's IT systems. Swansea council has dismissed claims by Unison that the housing benefits system has been non-operational since the first Wednesday of the dispute with 45,000 documents waiting to be scanned into the system.

A spokesman for Swansea council said the housing benefits system is still fully operational and there has been no impact on payments.

The striking IT staff have now written an open letter to council leader Tim Thorogood asking how the security lapse was allowed to happen and to provide guarantees about the security of data while the strike is ongoing.

Click here to view Unison's photographs of the security lapse.