Data loss/theft escalation?

The number of people potentially impacted by recent data loss story seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. Only last month did a laptop contain names & addresses of childrens get stolen in Nottingham, luckily this was recovery by the Police.

The most recent story is of a laptop stolen from a hospital in Cornwall containing 10000 payroll records on health workers, this includes address, date of birth and banking information.

The Royal Cornwall Hospital HHS Trust who manages the payroll for NHS Staff across the country said that no patient information was held on the laptop. ( that's ok then :| )

It brings about many questions for employees that are part of large organisations:
Who has access to company employee information and why?
What restrictions are in place for the security of that data?
Why does all this important information get stored on laptops?

Should we all worry that our companies are copying inforamtion and transporting it about the country?

What rights do you have if your details are lost and then exploited?

Source : http://www.computerworlduk.com/management/security/data-control/news/index.cfm?newsid=2852