Parents warned of data protection breach after HSE laptop is stolen

 

It’s emerged that a laptop containing children’s details has been stolen from the boot of a car of a staff member attached to the HSE’s Speech and Language Therapy Service in Donegal.
Gardai are investigating the theft, which took place outside the county.
This week, a number of parents and guardians whose children attend Speech and Language Therapy services in Donegal received letters dated November 7th, informing them of the theft of a laptop, which included a caseload register.
That register included the names, age groups, schools, addresses and phone numbers of a number of children, and the Data Protection Commissioner has instructed the service manager in the county to inform the parents of that fact.
The letter, which has been seen by Highland Radio News, says the HSE believes the information will be of no interest to those who stole he laptop, and the theft happened approximately 100 miles from Donegal.
As such, the letter concludes, there is little liklihood of local access to this information.
The HSE is apologising for the breach, and says steps are being taken to prevent any similar reoccurance.