News emerged on Friday of the theft more than a week ago.

Mr Browne will come under pressure to explain why such a large amount of data was held on a single laptop, particularly in the light of other losses by Government departments in recent months.

MPs are likely to echo demands from Information Commissioner Richard Thomas who has spoken of his concern about the sensitivity of some of the data on the computer, particularly as it related to military personnel.

The information watchdog has demanded assurances from the Ministry of Defence that it was taking action to improve data security following the theft.

The MoD would not give any details about what actions were being taken, saying that to do so would pre-empt any Commons statement by Mr Browne.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in an interview that his reaction when he heard of the the latest data loss was, "Oh no".

"You probably couldn't make it up, that's true, but you've got to be careful in saying 'Government losing data'," he told BBC One's The Politics Show.

The laptop was stolen from a Royal Navy recruitment officer after being left in a car in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham on the night of January 9, but the theft was only disclosed on Friday night by the MoD after details began to leak. It contained personal details of people who had joined up to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force and from people who had expressed an interest in joining.

Entries on the computer included passport details, National Insurance numbers, drivers' licence details, family details, doctors' addresses and NHS numbers, the MoD said.