List of councils whose staff illegally accessed DWP data
Sites where breaches occurred between 2006 and 2009.
| Councils where staff committed security breaches on the Department for Work and Pensions Customer Information System (CIS) Database between 2006 and 2009 |
||||
| Council |
Date |
Records breached |
Disciplinary action |
Prosecution? |
| Birmingham |
January 2009 |
Mistaken access |
CIS Suspension |
DWP advised no |
| Breckland |
Denied incident. |
Admitted after FOI. |
But no record kept. |
|
| Brent |
Autumn 2006 |
Girlfriend |
Sacked |
No |
| Brighton |
February 2008 |
Relative |
Suspended |
No |
| Bromley |
April 2008 |
Friends, colleagues |
Sacked |
No (DWP satisfied) |
| Carmarthenshire |
July 2008 |
"Known personally" |
* DP |
* DP |
| Camden |
September 2008 |
"We are unable to divulge" |
Warning |
No |
| Cardiff |
August 2006 |
Celebrites |
Sacked |
No (DWP consulted) |
| Cardiff |
January 2008 |
On behalf of family member |
Warning |
No (DWP consulted) |
| Epsom & Ewell |
July 2006 |
Own record |
Suspended from system |
No |
| Exeter |
August 2007 |
"Benefits claimaint" |
Sacked |
No |
| Glasgow |
N/A |
Celebrity |
Sacked |
No |
| Glasgow |
N/A |
"Someone they knew" |
Resigned |
No |
| Harringey |
July 2008 |
Acquaintance |
Warning |
No |
| Hastings |
November 2008 |
Friends father's address |
Resigned |
DWP decided no |
| Hertsmere |
July 2007 |
"Unable" to say |
Sacked |
No |
| Hillingdon |
January 2007 |
Family |
Warning |
No |
| Kerrier |
March 2007 |
Family |
Suspended from system |
No (DWP consulted) |
| NE Derbyshire |
September 2006 |
Own record |
Warning |
No |
| North Herts |
July 2007 |
Partner |
Warning |
No |
| N Somerset |
April 2008 |
Celebrities |
Resigned |
No |
| North Tyneside |
April 2008 |
Own record |
Suspended from system |
No |
| Penwith (Cornwall) |
September 2008 |
"Unknown" |
Sacked |
No |
| Sefton |
September 2006 |
Own record |
Suspended from system |
No |
| Sefton |
2007 |
Procedural error |
Suspended from system |
No |
| Sefton |
2009 |
Colleagues |
Investigation ongoing |
|
| Selby |
November 2006 |
Own record |
Warning |
No |
| Solihull |
February 2008 |
"Council tax debtor" |
* DP |
* DP |
| Test Valley |
July 2007 |
"Someone known to them" |
Resigned |
No (DWP consulted) |
| Tonbridge |
August 2008 |
Friend |
Sacked |
No (DWP agreed) |
| Torbay |
July 2008 |
Procedural error |
Warning |
No |
| Torfaen |
March 2008 |
Own record |
Sacked |
No (DWP consulted) |
| West Dorset |
May 2008 |
Own record |
Suspended from system |
No |
| Wirral |
April 2007 |
Family |
Warning |
No |
| *DP – Councils refused to release the information because they said to do so would breach the Data Protection Act. |
||||
| Source: FOI requests on councils involved |
||||
Read more on IT risk management
-
![]()
DWP to begin private beta roll-out of CIS database
By: Lis Evenstad
-
![]()
CW500: Skills and sourcing trends for successful IT strategy
By: Bryan Glick
-
![]()
BBC CTO John Linwood sacked over failed £100m digital project
By: Bryan Glick
-
![]()
More than 1,100 DWP workers disciplined over benefits snooping
By: Caroline Baldwin
