My Department has a clear policy in which staff are directed not to use third-party or web-based email accounts to send or receive Departmental information, not least because the method is much less secure than Departmental systems.
Thus it is not the standard practice amongst officials within my Department, nor is it my standard practice nor that of my advisors, to use personal email accounts for Departmental business. However, the issue of personal email accounts for work-related business may on rare occasions arise out of necessity, for example where ICT systems are inaccessible.
I understand that my colleague, Minister of State McConalogue was in contact with his Private Secretary from his personal email account on two occasions, as the attachments being forwarded were blocked by the Department’s IT system. Similarly, one of my Special Advisers used his personal email address for a brief period for responses to press queries and the preparation of media responses. A personal email account was used until his Departmental email account had been set up, and IT access issues had been resolved.
I have only used a personal email account on a small number of occasions while waiting for a personal Departmental email account to be accessible.