Health Minister’s failure to disclose PHW data breach is ‘unacceptable’

Commenting on the announcement that Public Health Wales has admitted a data breach that saw details of some 18,105 people who tested positive for Covid-19 posted on its website for nearly a whole day, the Shadow Health Minister – Andrew RT Davies MS – said:

“This is another personal data breach after the shambolic handling of the 13,000 shielding letters which were sent to the wrong addresses by the Welsh Labour-led Government. 

“I acknowledge that the risk is considered to be ‘low’, but I’m not sure that that will be much comfort to the nearly 2,000 residents of care homes or other enclosed settings whose – albeit limited – information was posted along with their place of residence.

“The Health Minister appears to have sat on this for two weeks and done a press conference earlier today without disclosing this significant failing – and that's unacceptable. 

“When people across Wales are being asked to provide our personal data for the purposes of track and trace this revelation could well damage public confidence.”