Alistair Darling MP

Alistair Darling MP (Labour) MP for Edinburgh South West. Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was Secretary of State for the Department of Trade and Industry from 5 May 2006 to 28 June 2007, and Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland from May 2002 to May 2006. Earlier, Alistair Darling was Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions from June 2001 to May 2002; Secretary of State for Social Security between July 1998 and June 2001, and Chief Secretary to the Treasury from May 1997 to July 1998. Studied law at Aberdeen University.

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2007-12-06 - The Telegraph - HMRC boss admits to more data losses
Author: Andrew Porter
Summary: HMRC has admitted there have been seven other significant data losses in recent years. ... The Tories last night said his comments directly contradict assertions by Chancellor Alistair Darling, who has insisted that the loss was an isolated incident.
2007-11-29 - The Guardian - Darling promises report into data fiasco next month
Author: Haroon Siddique
Summary: An interim report into how CDs containing the personal information of 25 million people were lost will be ready next month, Alistair Darling said today. ... "We will have his interim report in about three weeks' time... I intend to report to the house," Darling told MPs. ... The chancellor said the full report into the loss of data would be ready by next spring. "We do need to have a thorough look at how information is transferred, ask ourselves if it needs to leave a building in the first place, and if it does need to, what is the necessary security encryption or other security measure appropriate,"
2007-11-24 - The Times - Pressure mounts on Alistair Darling as six more CDs reported missing
Summary: Alistair Darling was at the centre of a new storm over the loss of personal data last night as The Times learnt that six more CDs containing confidential information were missing in the Revenue & Customs internal post.
2007-11-21 - ZDNet - Government 'bang to rights' over HMRC fiasco
Author: Tom Espiner
Summary: The Information Commissioner's Office has said that, on the facts known, the UK government is "bang to rights" over the loss of 25 million personal records. ... "This is the biggest privacy disaster by our government," said Jonathan Bamford, assistant information commissioner. "There is no doubt that [chancellor of the exchequer] Alistair Darling and others will have to deal with the fact there are legally enforceable [privacy] standards. In Britain we have the phrase 'bang to rights'. Someone is bang to rights over that breach. Clearly on the facts available there appears to be a major contravention of data-protection laws."
2007-11-20 - ZDNet - ID cards under fire after HMRC debacle
Author: Tom Espiner
Summary: The shadow chancellor, George Osborne, attacked the government on Tuesday following its disclosure of the loss of the details of 25 million child-benefit claimants, and called into question its competence to safeguard data collected for the controversial national ID cards scheme. ... Chancellor Alistair Darling denied that this would put paid to the ID cards scheme, however, insisting that, had the compromised data been linked to biometrics, it would have been more secure. "The key thing with ID cards is that information is protected by personal biometric information," said Darling. "The problem is we do not have that protection [on the lost HMRC information]. ID cards match up biometric information with information held — there would be a biometric lock with the ID cards system."
2007-07-04 - BBC - Brown and Cameron clash over ID
Summary: Gordon Brown and David Cameron have clashed over plans to introduce identity cards in their first prime minister's questions encounter. Mr Cameron, whose Conservatives oppose the cards, said they would "cause more problems than they solve" and had not stopped terror attacks abroad. But Mr Brown, who raised the issue, said they were needed as they were "complementary" to other policies. ... Mr Cameron quoted Mr Brown's new chancellor, Alistair Darling, as having said in the past: "Identity cards are unnecessary and will create more difficulties than they will solve. I don't want my whole life to be reduced to a magnetic strip on a plastic card."
2004-03-21 - The Sunday Times - Blunkett fast-tracks ID cards
Author: David Cracknell
Summary: Cabinet ministers are accusing David Blunkett, the home secretary, of attempting to sneak through compulsory identity cards after they blocked the scheme, leaked cabinet papers reveal. The home secretary’s plans are being attacked by colleagues just as anti-terrorist measures are back at the top of the agenda after the Madrid bombings and public support is growing for ID cards. In a concerted campaign, four senior ministers — Jack Straw, Alistair Darling, Paul Boateng and Patricia Hewitt — have written letters protesting against the move by Blunkett, who is due to publish a draft ID cards bill before Easter. They are furious that the home secretary has inserted a clause that would grant the power to introduce compulsory cards with a single vote in the Commons and without another act of parliament being passed.
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