Legacy body sorry after 25 names disclosed in data breach

The body tasked with investigating outstanding cases from the Northern Ireland Troubles has apologised following a data breach.

The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) said the names of 25 people who had contacted it had been mistakenly disclosed to an individual.

The commission said no sensitive information had been disclosed but said an internal investigation is now under way.

The ICRIR was created by the Conservative government’s Legacy Act which halted scores of civil cases and inquests into Troubles deaths.

Bereaved families, victims and certain public authorities can instead request the ICRIR carry out an investigation.

While Labour has committed to repealing the Act and has said legacy inquests will resume, it is continuing with the ICRIR.

The ICRIR has been opposed by victims’ organisations and political parties in Northern Ireland and its powers have been subject to legal challenges.

The body is headed up by Northern Ireland’s former Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan.

The ICRIR said it experienced a “limited data breach” on the afternoon of March 18.

A statement said: “The names of 25 people, principally Requesting Individuals (RI), were mistakenly disclosed to a single recipient who had previously sought assistance from the Commission.

“This was caused by an administrative error in an email address field.

“No sensitive or special category information was disclosed.

“The mistake was discovered within several hours and addressed swiftly.

“The recipient has confirmed the information was deleted.”

The statement added: “All affected RIs have been contacted, with a sincere apology and offer of further advice or support.

“All other RIs, including those no longer with the Commission, have also been advised.

“The Commission takes very seriously its responsibilities in protecting the privacy of individuals and the security of information entrusted to us.

“The Commission is very sorry for this error.

“An internal investigation is now under way, and a full report has been sent to the Information Commissioner’s Office.”