Benn plays down concerns over data

30 Oct 2009

Farmers' fears over the possible misuse of data on missing Rural Payments Agency (PA) back-up tapes are being played down by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.

He has told MPs that since the story broke, 35 of the missing tapes have been accounted for, and of the remaining two, they do not contain "personal protected data".

They "potentially contain partial data in code", he said, adding: "Tapes of this sort can only be read with specialist equipment and detailed technical knowledge.

"Furthermore, one of the two tapes was known to be faulty and had been reported as such, since it could not be read."

Mr Benn, who disclosed details of the data loss during question time in the Commons, said it had been discovered after "routine inventory checks" and "there is no evidence that tapes are in the public domain".

The RPA is responsible for subsidies to farmers in the form of single farm payments.