Commissioner Roderick Woo Bun will investigate whether the department has breached an undertaking to protect personal data after a batch of documents was again leaked via the software Foxy.

The files were on an immigration officer's computer at the Shenzhen Bay control point and concern offenses committed by an Indonesian domestic helper and an Iranian man.

The officer is said to have denied having installed Foxy on his personal computer and the department is reported to be investigating whether there is another source of the leak.

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A privacy office spokesman said it has contacted the department and is looking into whether the leak happened before or after Director of Immigration Simon Peh Yun-lu signed an undertaking to protect personal data with Woo in June.

A formal investigation will be launched if the department is found to have failed to follow the terms of the undertaking, and it may face prosecution if it continues to fail to protect personal data.

A department spokeswoman said it is still investigating the latest incident and has already reported the case to the Privacy Commissioner and the Government Information Security Incidents Response Office.

Legislative Council security panel vice chairman James To Kun-sun of the Democratic Party said the powers of the Privacy Commissioner need to be strengthened.

The manpower of the commission should also be increased.

"The commissioner needs to tell us whether there are any wrongdoings by the department - but this government does not like being monitored," To said.

He added that the department needs to give the security panel a thorough report.

To said it is totally unacceptable for the latest leak to come to light so soon after the department claimed to have strengthened security precautions in the wake of the first incident.