Privacy watchdog says Oliver Letwin broke data protection laws

The Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin has admiited breaching data protection laws after being caught dumping correspondence from  constituents in a public bin - but he will not face a fine.

Following an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), Mr Letwin must now ensure that he keeps personal information secure. If he does not he will face formal enforcement action, said Commissioner Christopher Graham.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) said Mr Letwin has signed a written commitment to comply with the Cabinet Office's data handling guidelines.

Christopher Graham, Information Commissioner, said: "Constituents entrust their Member of Parliament with all sorts of personal information and should never expect the details of the concerns they've raised in confidence to end up in a park bin for anyone to see.

"It is clear that Mr Letwin has learned from this incident and we're pleased that he has co-operated fully. It is fortunate that most of the information he discarded was not of a particularly sensitive nature and was therefore unlikely to cause substantial distress to his constituents.

"But if we receive any further reports or complaints about Mr Letwin's conduct in this area then we will consider taking more formal action. I'm sure this case will also prompt other MPs to review their handling of personal data to ensure they're doing all they can to keep it secure."Mr

Letwin was seen by the Daily Mirror dumping letters and emails from constituents in public bins across St James' Park. The documents - which were later handed over to the ICO by the newspaper - were then examined to determine what personal information they included.

The privacy watchdog found that the letters and emails contained the names, addresses and contact details of approximately 20 individuals. One email also included a limited amount of information relating to an individual's recent hospital treatment.