I don’t use emails, says Sturgeon

First Minister claims all official business is conducted on paper

NICOLA Sturgeon is at the centre of a secrecy row after claiming she does not use email or other forms of electronic communication.

The First Minister yesterday failed to say whether she has ever used a private or SNP email address to conduct government business.

However, it was later claimed Miss Sturgeon does not use email or other forms of communication, such as text messages or WhatsApp, when she is carrying out official duties. Instead, she apparently uses handwritten notes and letters.

It also emerged that Miss Sturgeon did not send a single email to ministers’ government accounts during June and only sent two notes to her special advisers – both from her SNP email address.

At First Minister’s Questions, Tory MSP Donald Cameron asked if she had ‘ever used a private or party email address to conduct Scottish Government business’.

Miss Sturgeon said: ‘Rightly or wrongly, most of my conduct of government business is on paper. I receive paper boxes, not email boxes, and I make handwritten notes.’

The revelations come after the Scottish Daily Mail launched a Secret Scotland campaign to expose a culture of secrecy in public bodies. There are concerns a lack of digital footprint of Miss Sturgeon’s government business could mean it is not available under freedom of information (FoI) legislation.

Mr Cameron said: ‘The First Minister failed to answer a simple yes-no question today. Surely everyone can agree that using private emails to conduct government business is wrong. If it has happened, it begs the question as to what the First Minister has to hide.’

There are no rules to prevent Scottish ministers using private email addresses for government business – which could allow them to dodge scrutiny. Political party accounts are not generally covered by FoI legislation.

As pokesman for Miss Sturgeon said she did not use a personal email account for ‘substantive government business’.

He said: ‘Quite often members of the public will email her at these email addresses and she will then forward said email from her account.’

Asked if Miss Sturgeon ever sends emails, he said: ‘She will use email accounts which you are familiar with, the MSP account and the party account.

‘ I n terms of government emails... she conducts government business in a traditional way, boxes of ministerial papers. Any instructions that she issues from government will by and large be conducted through the first minister internal address.’

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