According to newly released figures, the MoD managed to lose 28 laptops between January 1 and May 11 this year - that’s slightly more than one every 12 days.

The figures emerged in a written parliamentary answer from Bob Ainsworth, the Armed Forces Minister, last week and fortunately for him, was overshadowed by even more juicy relevations about MPs’ expenses claim.

In the same period, he revealed,  the MoD also lost another four PCs (desktops, I guess - the mind boggles), 20 memory sticks and a Blackberry.

In his statement, Ainsworth claimed: “The MoD takes any loss of information and associated media storage devices very seriously.” Just like all the other losses it’s sustained over the last few years, presumably.

Mind you, if you find the antics of the MoD slightly irritating, then consider a story that appeared in the Daily Express over the weekend. It revealed that in the wake of an incident last year when a consultant from PA Consulting lost a memory stick holding personal details of 84,000 UK prisoners, 13 prisoners are now making claims for up to £30,000 in compensation, saying their human rights have been infringed. Among them are two serial rapists doing life sentences.

The first of the cases is expected to reach court this month.