Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance he has issued to Ministers in his Department on the use of private email addresses for government business.

Ministers are not prohibited from using private email, but are reminded of their obligations to national security, and to the management of official information and records, through the department’s policies, the Cabinet Manual, and the Ministerial Code.

In particular the Guidance on the Use of Private Email, published by the Cabinet Office in 2013 states that should a minister receive information in their private email account, they should consider whether the information contained in it relates to substantive discussions or decisions generated in the course of conducting Government business and, if so, take steps to ensure the relevant information is accessible, for example, by copying it to a government email address.

Consequently, and in line with the 2013 Guidance, The Cabinet Office recognises that a blanket prohibition on use of private email by ministers for government business would be impractical, because, for example, it would not prevent a third party emailing a minister’s personal email address directly.