Lost prison security passes prove ID card risks

3.32.00pm GMT Wed 12th Nov 2008

Figures unearthed by Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for nearby Hornsey and Wood Green, have revealed that fourteen security passes have been lost or stolen at HMP Holloway in the last three years. Islington's Lib Dem community safety chiefs have warned that this proves the risks of the Labour Government's compulsory ID card scheme.

Councillor Terry Stacy said:

"Islington council works well with the Offender Management Service, and everyone understands that things can go missing.

"But the Labour Government intends to build a database of every phone call and email made in the UK, and will try and force us all to carry ID cards. If staff employed by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office are losing their own security passes, it doesn't bode well for how the Government will handle our sensitive data."

Research by the Liberal Democrats has shown that between 2001 and 2008, Home Office and Ministry of Justice Staff nationally lost 3,492 security passes.