Richard Bacon (South Norfolk, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts have issued Connecting for Health smartcards with the same PIN number for every user.

Liam Byrne (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health; Birmingham, Hodge Hill, Labour)

holding answer 20 July 2005

A number of smartcards issued during May 2005 by staff acting on behalf of NHS Connecting for Health, in connection with the national programme for information technology, to general practitioners within the Castle Point and Rochford, and the Southend primary care trust (PCT) areas. Though serious in itself, this breach of procedures has not posed a significant risk to the confidentiality of patient information.

An internal audit inquiry into the circumstances and details of this lapse in security arrangements has been commissioned by the Essex strategic health authority.

Local procedures have been further tightened to require ensuring smartcard end users change the passcode immediately on receipt of their card, and confirm in writing that this has been done. These will be regularly audited to ensure compliance. NHS Connecting for Health have also initiated a national confidence check' of smartcard registration procedures across all strategic health authorities, re-emphasising the very great importance which is attached to strict adherence to these.