Sensitive information about the death of Mark Duggan was among details of three cases lost by the Ministry of Justice.

A Ministry of Justice employee has been suspended after discs containing information about the deaths of Mr Duggan and two other men went missing after being put in the post at the same time.

The 29-year-old's shooting in August 2011 sparked rioting and looting in London and other cities in the UK.

The missing discs contain information relating to inquiries into the police's roles in the deaths of Mr Duggan and two other men.

This includes highly sensitive information about the police shooting of Azelle Rodney in Edgware in April 2005 and the loyalist murder of Robert Hamill in 1997.

Azelle Rodney, 24, was killed by a police marksman after officers stopped the car he was travelling in with two other men, believing they were on their way to carry out an armed robbery.

Officials realised the discs were missing three weeks ago and one member of staff has since been suspended.

The Government said in a statement: "The Government takes information security extremely seriously, and this incident is a breach of the arrangements that should be in place."

It said "intensive searches" carried out with the help of police had failed to recover either of the two missing discs.

It specified there was no evidence to indicate that the loss was the result of "malicious intent", and that the Rodney, Hamill and Duggan families had been informed.

The Metropolitan Police, whose officers were involved in the Mark Duggan and Azelle Rodney cases, also emphasised that it is taking the data breach "very seriously".

The force said it had "risk-assessed" the material and taken appropriate steps.

It added it was offering support to the Ministry of Justice but was not conducting its own investigation.

An independent review has been commissioned to look at all the circumstances of the loss.