Additional Part Paper Found

63 Cabinet Office staff were assiduous in collecting up all issued copies of the Telecommunication Stocktake review, once they were notified that there had been an unauthorised disclosure of it. However, on 11 May 2006 I was advised that a further copy of this paper had been located behind a photocopier located in Hon. Mr Cunliffe's office.

64 I collected this additional paper on 12 May 2006, and spoke to Hon. Mr Cunliffe's Senior Private Secretary about the circumstances in which it was found. On inspection, I noted that the copy that had been found was a copy of the Telecommunications Stocktake paper numbered 31 - the same paper that had been copied for distribution to the media in Hon. Mr Cunliffe's office on the afternoon of Wednesday 3 May 2006. It is clear to me that this additional copy found fell behind the photocopier by accident during the rush to provide the media with copies on that date.

65 The care taken in the collection of this further copy and immediately notifying the State Services Commission is further evidence of the high degree of concern and seriousness with which everyone involved treated this matter. It also does raise a question for further consideration by both DPMC and Ministers and their staff in respect of the best process for creating further copies of classified documents in urgent cases. There could be benefit in having all such copies created by the Cabinet Office in accordance with their processes. However this may not be practicable in all cases and my recommendation is simply that such copying processes be considered further by DPMC in light of this experience.