Access for all staff of my Department to web based emails is restricted by security infrastructure. The Department provides a secure remote access service to staff who require access to Departmental systems including emails outside of work hours. Like most people, officials in the Department would have personal email accounts and may occasionally use personal email accounts for work-related business; this would be rare and born of necessity, for example where ICT systems are inaccessible. Officials are aware that particular care is required not to communicate confidential information through non-official means. All work-related communications, including in respect of non-official email accounts, remain subject to relevant regulatory and legislative requirements such as FOI, archives and data protection.
In these circumstances, there are no plans to carry out a review along the lines suggested by the Deputy. The Department of Justice and Equality has an Acceptable Usage Policy in respect of ICT usage which was first put in place a decade ago and is currently in the process of being updated, particularly in light of ICT developments. In addition to being made available to existing employees, this policy is provided to new employees when they join the Department and is included in their induction programme. It does not currently address the use of non-official email accounts. The revised Acceptable Usage Policy will address the correct use of non-official email accounts for official business and when finalised will be made available on my Department's website.