The opposition has demanded that chancellor Alistair Darling make a further statement to clarify events behind the loss of 25 million people's information by the taxman.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne wants Darling to clear up why a junior employee was blamed for the loss of the discs, when further information has arisen that has suggested senior managers were aware of the mass of information contained on them.

The National Audit Office also revealed it handed KPMG a version of the two discs.

A further six discs had gone missing from HM Revenue & Customs, it emerged over the weekend. These discs also contained a recorded conversation between an HMRC employee and a customer.

The search for the original discs continues.

Further reading:

Tories demand new discs statement

Hartnett takes reins after HMRC fiasco