Commons Sense

House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement

Cabinet Office Update

07 January 2020 · Cabinet Office

Proposed by Oliver Dowden Con Hertsmere

Standards & Ethics

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

View on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Key points

  • The Cabinet Office mistakenly published an honours list online with recipients' address details, causing a data breach.
  • An independent review of data handling practices within the Cabinet Office is announced to establish appropriate controls around personal data.
  • Changes have been made to prevent similar human errors and improve rapid access removal processes.

Issue summary

The Cabinet Office mistakenly published an honours list online with address details of recipients, resulting in a data breach.

Action requested

An independent review of data handling practices within the Cabinet Office is announced to establish appropriate controls around personal data. Changes have been made to prevent similar human errors and improve rapid access removal processes.

Key facts

  • The honours list was accessible online for approximately 40 minutes.
  • Over 1,097 recipients' address details were included in the erroneous publication.
  • The Department contacted all affected individuals within 48 hours to inform them of the incident and apologise.
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