Taoiseach defends Coveney over deletion of text messages

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney was "acting in good faith" when he deleted text messages relating to official business, the Taoiseach has said.

In the Dáil, Micheál Martin defended Mr Coveney's decision to clear from his phone conversations he had with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Katherine Zappone about her appointment as an envoy to the UN.

However, he told Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald that he had made it “very clear” to colleagues “that the deletion of Government records in any form should not happen”.

The Taoiseach said a review of the Freedom of Information Act, announced in June, was almost complete and was likely to come before Cabinet next week.

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Ms McDonald said Mr Coveney breached the freedom of information law by deleting texts about the appointment as she challenged the Taoiseach about how widespread the deletion of Government texts and emails was by Ministers.

The Sinn Féin leader raised the issue in advance of her party’s motion of no confidence in Mr Coveney over his handling of the appointment of the former minister for children as a special envoy for freedom of expression. Ms Zappone subsequently decided not to take up the role.

Ms McDonald said it was not “sloppy behaviour” by the Minister. “This was about the Minister deliberately erasing Government records” and failing to send them to his department for filing and storage.

Mr Coveney said he routinely deletes conversations from his phone when he has completed conversations and she said it was “extremely troubling” that he thought he had the right to delete such texts.

She wanted to "establish how widespread this practice is within your Government", what other Ministers deleted their electronic communications and what Mr Martin had done to eliminate the practice in Government. It was extremely troubling that the Minister felt he could delete this communication and it "goes to the heart of democracy".

She said a Minister “erasing government records in such a fashion stinks to the high heavens and is in my view, an abuse of office, plain and simple.

“I think it’s corrosive to politics, and it’s insulting to people. His behaviour was unacceptable, and this has angered people because it demonstrates a breathtaking arrogance.”

Mr Martin said he understood there was public anger but people were more concerned about health services, housing and Covid-19.

The Taoiseach said the appointment was part-time and the response to the controversy should be fair and proportionate but Sinn Féin’s response to have a motion of no confidence in the Minister was not.

He said Mr Coveney had admitted he had made mistakes in handling the issue. He had apologised and had answered questions twice before the Oireachtas committee.

But the Taoiseach told Ms McDonald that she should look at her own party in government in the North.

“Appointing your own is the hallmark of Sinn Féin when in Government. You made the city of Derry your fiefdom,” he said, adding that she was “not on stable ground” when she made such allegations.

He said that “any texts in relation to Government business should not be deleted. I’ve made that clear to other Government Ministers.” Mr Martin added that it was not up to the Sinn Féin leader to decide whether Mr Coveney had breached the law. – Additional reporting: PA