Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
430. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department has any usage policy on or if it sanctions for official purposes the use of messaging apps (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37207/26]
View answerMy department adheres to the Department’s Civil Service circular 09/2019 ‘Policy on the Use of Private Email and Other Private Messaging Services’ in addition to our Acceptable Use of ICT policy and Social Media policy.
These policies require that official communications are conducted through approved Government systems and prohibit any practices that would circumvent security controls, data protection requirements, or statutory obligations, including under Freedom of Information and National Archives legislation.
In exceptional circumstances (e.g. extended loss of ICT systems, national emergency or where a civil servant has no access to his/her organisation issued email account or service), it may be necessary to use a private email account or other private messaging service to conduct official government business. Resulting correspondence must be forwarded to the civil servant’s organisation issued email account and be deleted from the private account.
Accordingly, messaging applications are not sanctioned for substantive official business or decision-making. Where such applications are used on an exceptional basis, any official record arising must be appropriately captured and retained within approved systems in line with the appropriate policies.
