Mersey Reporter - #Merseybites #News

7 job centres across Merseyside were impacted by data breaches last year, according to Government records, while jobseekers in one Wirral town were among the worst affected by mail-based data protection errors.

Figures collected from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) show that close to 400 data breaches affected job centres last year, while there were north of 250 data security issues involving mail errors.

Compensation experts Data Breach Claims UK learned through a Freedom of Information request that 238 job centres experienced at least 1 breach between:- November 2023 and January 2025.

Data Breach Claims UK specialist Bethan Hakesley commented that:- "In this current climate, jobseekers already have more than enough to worry about without a mistake causing their personal data to become public. Even 1 data breach is too many, especially if it causes a person significant stress. If personal data gets into the wrong hands, it can have a devastating impact. We've supported many people who have had their lives turned upside down by a simple error with serious consequences. If someone suffers mental harm or financial damage because of a personal data breach, they're well within their rights to look into claiming compensation."

We are told the 3 job centres report multiple breaches according to a Freedom of Information Act, issued by Data Breach Claims UK specialists.

A data breach is defined by information security watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a:- "breach of security leading to the:- accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data."

The DWP was reprimanded by the ICO in 2022 after a failure to redact sensitive information by its Child Maintenance Appeals service led to 16 people's personal data being sent to:- 'inappropriate' 3rd parties.

Jobseekers are expected to share sensitive information when using the service, including;- names, addresses, National Insurance numbers, job histories and bank details, plus medical information in some cases.

Birkenhead, Bootle and St Helens were affected more than any other part of the Region. Their respective job centres each reported 2 separate data breach incidents during 2024.

Jobcentre sites in:- Huyton, Kirkby St Chads and West Derby, all had one breach of data, while across the water, there was also 1 GDPR violation, at the Bromborough Jobcentre.

Data Breach Claims UK said that the DWP haven't confirmed how many people were impacted by the data breaches, as of time of publishing this report.

The DWP have said that there were:- 261 'postal security incidents' between:- November 2023 and January 2025. Such incidents involve letters being sent to the wrong address and their contents, including an individual's data, being seen by the wrong person.

This happened most often in Coventry, where 30 incidents were recorded. A postal mishap was more than twice as likely in Coventry than in the place affected 2nd most often (Torquay, 14 incidents).

3rd in the national list is Birkenhead. The Wirral Town was the source of 12 postal security incidents, according to the DWP, meaning jobseekers faced well above the average risk of their data falling into the wrong hands.

Additionally, Bootle and St Helens faced mail related data protection concerns, with 8 mail incidents (4 apiece) traced back to their jobcentres.

The DWP were bullish in defending their record, telling Data Breach Claims UK that:- "DWP issues over:- 80,000,000 mail notifications per annum and the number of recorded Postal Security Incidents recorded equates to:- 0.00027%."

Within London and East Midlands DWP centres counted 369 data breaches across its job centres through 2024, spread across 218 locations.

2 London based job centres Barnet, and Bromley each reported:- 7 incidents, alongside East Midlands based Jobcentres, in:- Derby and Nottingham.

The Ramsgate Jobcentre in Kent was also host to 7 separate data breach incidents.

The 5 centres had just under 10% of the country's data breaches, with only 3 others:- Littlehampton, Northampton and Lowestoft having 5 or more cases.

The DWP said that it reported 19 data breaches to the ICO in:- 2023/24.

There were 32 data breaches in the 1st 3 weeks of 2025 alone, a rate of reports threatening to exceed 2024's total if it continues through the year.

Data Breach Claims UK is a service dedicated to offering guidance and support to people who have been emotionally or financially affected by a personal data breach.