TUV leader poses questions to head of NI Civil Service about deletion of WhatsApp messages

The series of written questions to Jayne Brady was prompted by evidence heard at the Covid Inquiry.

On Tuesday, the inquiry was told that informal communications sent by former Stormont ministers during the pandemic, including WhatsApp messages, have been lost after government-issued devices were reset.

Counsel to the inquiry Clair Dobbin KC said the devices of former first minister Baroness Arlene Foster and deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill were among those subjected to a factory reset.

The inquiry is holding a preliminary hearing into the devolved administration’s decision-making and response to the pandemic.

Ms Dobbin said informal communications “may be of a forensic value in preserving what individuals thought or knew at a given point in time”.

In his letter to Ms Brady, Mr Allister asks: “When did NICS receive notice from the inquiry requiring all records to be retained and what was the form and content of that notification?”

He also requests information on who was subsequently notified of the requirements and when.

However, the main theme of the questioning relates to whether the phones of ministers’ special advisors were also affected, whether the phones were reset prior to being returned, and what efforts have been made to recover the data.

A further question relates to whether “any disciplinary proceedings have been initiated in respect of the wiping of these phones”.

When the Covid Inquiry was established in 2021, the permanent secretaries of all devolved departments were contacted asking them to ensure no material of potential relevance to the inquiry was destroyed.

Ms Dobbin said: “In August 2023 the Executive Office (TEO) notified the inquiry team of a potential loss of data in relation to the Northern Ireland Civil Service supplied devices that were held by former Executive ministers and senior civil servants.

“TEO informed the inquiry that the government-supplied devices of the former first minister Baroness Arlene Foster and the deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill had been reset to factory settings.

“It was said this was also the position in relation to other ministers and meant that no data was available from those devices.”