KEY POINTS:
The Inland Revenue Department doesn't know where 106 of its computers are.
National MP Gerry Brownlee brought the IRD's plight to light yesterday by releasing an official response to a parliamentary question.
"Inland Revenue holds 8488 desktop and laptop computers," it said.
"As at April 2006, 106 (1.2 per cent) of these computers could not be located, 32 of these were deemed to be obsolete.
"This number is expected to reduce in the future due to the implementation of additional tracking software."
Mr Brownlee said he wanted to know what security protocols were loaded on the computers, whether there was the potential for a wider compromise of the IRD system, and how much personal and private information was at risk.
"To say that there will be improvements after 106 computers have already gone walkabout understates the seriousness of the potential breach," he said.
Mr Brownlee said later he was not going to let the Inland Revenue Department off the hook.
"If you were to go to the IRD and say, 'Look, I'm sorry I've misplaced 106 computers somewhere in my cashflow, it's perfectly normal', I don't think they would take a very generous attitude towards you," he said.
Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said he was taking the situation seriously but did not think the computers had been stolen.
"IRD runs a very secure operation," he said.
- NZPA