"He added that bank customers will not suffer any loss if they are a victim of fraud"....

errr...not quite. Either the banks cover the loss and we end up paying for it through bank charges, or the government covers the loss and we pay for it through our tax. Either way we lose and whoever perpetrates the fraud is the only winner.

Alex Ritchie, Salisbury, UK

How dare a Government agency use TNT Express Services to deliver items such as this? A dutch owned limited company??
If they were going to be sending mail including these items with or without the correct authority from the appropriate management, the Royal Mail should be used not some Jonny Foreigner outfit!

trevorleigh, london, uk

The CSA are letting my children down with incompetence and indifference, and now the government exposes their private details, and my own. I have never before felt so frustrated and angry as I do now. How am I supposed to pay for credit checking when on a low income?

Oh and you've just lost the next election, GB, not that I mind one bit.

kate, Surrey,

Fadwa, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
we should all stop discussing the problem and start to think wisely to find a better choices to solve it . I think it is time to do the good job our world deserve to overcome our crisis. May all of us be more responsible and taking care of each other.

what is that ment to mean?

simon, brighouse,

we should all stop discussing the problem and start to think wisely to find a better choices to solve it . I think it is time to do the good job our world deserve to overcome our crisis. May all of us be more responsible and taking care of each other.

Fadwa, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

In September HMRC lost an unencrypted CD of information about 15000 standard life customers - I am one of them.
HMRC wrote to me stating that they were working to "put in place measures to prevent this happening in the future".
They have done nothing effective.

david, farnborough,

Sheer, utter, negligent incompetence in every aspect of the administration of this country since 1997. They boasted of joined up government, i think they would struggle with joined up writing.
But its their arrogance in the face of failures that really gets me ..wars, immigration, transport, housing, education, health, sleaze...and they wonder why politicians are despised.

wattajoker, hemel hempstead, uk

The governments response to this screw up is unsurprising and typical, they create havoc and the consumer will now have to pay to sort it out. It is time the onus on costs, time and trouble are born by the perpetrators that allow ID theft due to lack of duty of care. Whether its a bank, a shop or in this case the government, all costs should be borne by the party that lost personal data no matter how it was done whether accidental, hacking or deliberate. If they were made financially accountable perhaps they'd be a bit more careful about our information.

Mike, Alicante, Spain

Should we all now sue the HMRC under the Data Protection Act for the distress caused by them failing to ensure the protection of our data?

Mark, Glasgow, Scotland

This problem is very easy to solve.

It's ironic that in the same week that Colossus came back to life there has been a major breach of security affecting every child and parent in the UK.

Simply adapt the ideas of 60 years ago. Use a 128 bit security algorithm that changes daily when data is passed from one government department to another.

Easy for hackers to crack? Offer hackers a prize if they can - it will be a lot cheaper than a class compensation claim.

The reason that this ocurred at all is that no one at Government level takes personal ID security seriously unless it's their own. Perhaps the ejection from power will leave them more time to reconsider their views.

Spencer Hall, Bristol, UK

The time to really worry is in about three years time. Read the very real and true stories from Frank Abagnale on US ID fraud scams. Remember this man has been immortalised by Leonardo di Caprio in his film Catch me if you can. The loss of these NI numbers leads us to all the hall marks of his chilling tale of "stealing your soul" in his latest book The Art of the Steal. Maybe this government should take advise like the US government has been shown to do and learn!! As for ID cards I will never trust this government with my personal data.

Tom, Lichfield, UK

Data protection?
Identity cards?
Managerial efficiency?
Jobs for the boys?
Need I say more? The best laugh I have had all year.
CeliaB, Wimbledon

Celia Barker, London,

Maybe the Government should now pay a credit agency to email any and all of the families whose details they have lost if any suspicious activity occurs on their accounts. Just about every aspect of national life seems to have been turned into an absolute disaster over the last 10 years.

Mike, Birmingham, UK

Why the hell should I have to pay frequently to equifax etc because of the incompetence of HMRC. They should be setting up these inquiries on my behalf and getting these reports sent to me. I am absolutely staggered that this can be allowed to happen, repeatedly with such with such ease.

Why should I bother to fill in a tax return if they can't be bothered to treat my personal data with the respect it deserves.

James, London,

So I can look forward to paying for an indefinite period for repeat records issued by credit reference agencies to identify my credit rating? Or will the agencies be required to take precautions against future changes to individuals' credit status including by ascertaining whether a change is driven by fraudulent transactions?

PeterS, London,