List of councils whose staff illegally accessed DWP data

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