Civil servants rapped for leaking jobs figures

A GOVERNMENT department has been attacked for allowing the leak of highly sensitive data about the UK economy.

The monthly jobs market report was shared “with up to 300 people through a social media network” by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before its publication.

The leaked report revealed that unemployment had dropped to a 10-year low, boosting the pound. The Office for National Statistics, which compiles the monthly jobs report, alerted the UK Statistics Authority to the leak.

“The authority is deeply concerned about the impact that breaches and apparent breaches… may have on the trustworthiness of the UK’s official statistics system,” Ed Humpherson, of the authority, wrote in a letter to the DWP’s permanent secretary.

“I would welcome your assurance that you will… ensure that such an occurrence cannot and will not happen again.”

Separate ONS figures revealed that government borrowing fell by more than expected in December as contributions to the EU fell.

Public-sector borrowing, excluding stakes in bailedout banks, stood at £7.5bn, well below the £10.5bn expected by analysts, and last year’s figure of £11.7bn.

The figure is a boon to Chancellor George Osborne, whose spending plans had been questioned after months of data suggested he would miss his austerity targets.