Enda Kenny used personal email for ‘operational reason’

The Taoiseach has admitted he has used a personal Gmail account to send official information “for operational reasons”.

Questioned about his use of unofficial email accounts, Mr Kenny admitted that he has a private account which pre-dates his appointment as Taoiseach.

He said he uses the account for personal correspondence or for party political correspondence that would not be appropriate to transmit on an official email account from the department.

“In the past, there have been occasions where I have used that personal email because of operational reasons, but information does not go from the secure encrypted emails onto that and Government agendas or Government business comes to me via encrypted email addresses,” Mr Kenny told the Dáil.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said the issue of hacking had been raised recently as a result of allegations that the Russian government hacked into the American Democratic Party computer system.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin asked if Mr Kenny could guarantee that no Government business or material pertaining to Cabinet ended up in his personal email system.

Mr Kenny again said that Government agenda and business comes to him via encrypted email addresses.

The Taoiseach also told the Dáil that he has yet to appoint an economic adviser.

Opposition leaders expressed “surprise” that the role had not been filled, given the implications Brexit and the presidency of Donald Trump in the US may have on Ireland.

Mr Kenny said: “It is not that I have decided not to make an appointment. The particular kind of person we need is not that easy to find. In the meantime, I have reassigned responsibilities to two very capable people who are working on policy and programme implementation.”

Mr Martin separately complained that it was “extraordinarily chilly in the Chamber” yesterday, to which the Ceann Comhairle replied: “I do not really think that is the Government’s failure.”