Conor Lenihan
Question:24 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will confirm that no current serving civil servant was responsible for the recent spate of leaks in relation to Anglo-Irish matters. [17871/97]
Written Answers. - Leaking of Documents.
Conor Lenihan
Question:56 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, he has taken to further restrict potential leaks of conversations conducted by his officials with community leaders in the North. [17872/97]
Conor Lenihan
Question:95 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of people to whom sensitive, recently leaked, documents from his Department were circulated; and if he will name these individuals. [17873/97]
Conor Lenihan
Question:96 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Departmental briefing material relating to sensitive matters in the North is circulated to non-civil servant members of his ministerial staff. [17870/97]
Conor Lenihan
Question:97 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if it has been the practice by previous Ministers to include non-civil service ministerial staff or advisers in the circulation list for sensitive briefing material relating to Anglo-Irish matters. [17869/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 56, 95, 96 and 97 together.
As there is a Garda investigation into the matters raised in Deputy Lenihan's questions, the House will appreciate that I am limited in what I can say lest I prejudice in any way either the Garda investigation or any subsequent legal proceedings that may ensue.
I advise the Dáil however that, in the light of the recent and unprecedented leaks of sensitive Anglo-Irish material, compiled by the Department of Foreign Affairs, I instructed that an immediate review of the security and circulation of such material be undertaken.
On consideration of this, I have decided that confidential Anglo-Irish material will in future be circulated to a small tightly-knit group, on a "need to know" basis. In addition, the most sensititive of this material, including that relating to discussions with departmental contacts, will be circulated under a new personalised, numbered system.
I have also decided that the compilation and circulation of the weekly Box, or Green Book as it has been described, should be discontinued with immediate effect.
I have also instructed that a wider departmental review of the security and classification of documentation should be carried out and a report submitted to me as soon as possible.
I can confirm to the Deputy that in the past a limited number of ministerial advisers who were not civil servants did receive copies of the weekly brief.