Alan Kelly
Question:2. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Taoiseach if there is a policy regarding ministerial use of private email for Government business in his Department; and if so, if it will be published. [40673/18]
View answerTuesday, 9 October 2018
Questions (2)
Written answers
The Department of the Taoiseach has an ICT Policy which stipulates that where personal email accounts are used for business purposes, due regard must be taken of the sensitivity and confidentiality of the information being transmitted.
The ICT Policy further requires that, where personal email accounts are used for business purposes, a copy of any record created must be retained in an appropriate official electronic filing system and/or hard copy file which can be accessed should the need arise.
Although I and the staff working in my Department have been assigned Departmental email accounts which are used for official business, there may be occasional operational reasons to use a personal email account. From time to time, a third party may email me about official business using an address other than my Departmental address. This has occurred previously where the third party may have had a particular address to contact me prior to my appointment as Taoiseach.
In line with my Department's ICT policy, if such correspondence is received, I or my staff copy the reply to Government officials thereby creating a record of the correspondence which can be accessed at a later date. All staff working in my Department have signed the ICT Policy, new staff joining the Department are furnished with a copy of it and extracts of the Policy relating to the use of private email have been released under Freedom of Information and are, therefore, in the public domain.