Criminal proceedings could be brought against government departments that lose personal data, MPs said yesterday.

The Justice Select Committee said that new laws and penalties could be introduced on the government following the recent data losses at HM Revenue & Customs, DVLA and the NHS.

'The scale of the data loss by government bodies and contractors is truly shocking but the evidence we have had points to further hidden problems," said Alan Beith, chairman of the committee.

'It is frankly incredible, for example, that the measures HMRC has put in place were not already standard procedure.'

The Information Commissioner could also be given powers to carry out spot checks on departments' systems or making it a requirement that departments flag up data losses, reported Reuters.

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