The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) breached the Data Protection Act after personal details of visa applicants were visible to others, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) ruled today after an investigation.

UKvisas - the joint Home Office and FCO directorate responsible for visa processing – was found to be unsecure in May after some applicants found they could view each others' details.

No organisation is exempt from the Data Protection Act, said Mick Gorill, assistant commissioner at the ICO.

"If organisations fail to take this responsibility seriously, they not only leave individuals vulnerable to identity theft but risk losing individuals’ confidence and trust - we investigate any organisation in breach of the Act," he said.

The FCO has signed a formal undertaking to comply with the principles of the Data Protection Act – if it does not it will face further action from the ICO.

The FCO said it will replace the web site with an entirely new one - visa4UK – which will be security checked on a regular basis.