The Covid-19 Inquiry has heard that the former deputy first minister’s devices had been wiped when she handed them back in February 2022.
Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said she accepts she should have kept WhatsApp exchanges for the Covid-19 Inquiry rather than wiping her phone.
Ms O’Neill, who was deputy first minister between 2020 and 2022, was issued with a mobile phone and iPad. The inquiry heard those were wiped before they were returned in February 2022. Ms O’Neill responded: “They may have been a to and fro in a conversation outside a meeting but the official record was the official record in terms of decisions made.
Ms Dobbin said Ms O’Neill’s statement to the inquiry suggests she used messages for logistical matters but not about the response to the pandemic.Ms O’Neill said the statement was “referring to be able to understand that everything is recorded in terms of decisions on the official record”, adding: “I’m happy to correct that if you think that that’s appropriate.”
Ms O’Neill said: “No, you’re right there. They are an exchange around issues but they will not be the formal record of any decision that will be made.”Ms O’Neill said: “I can accept that … I can reflect that even though I understood that to be the the way in which to do things in terms of my previous experiences as a minister, obviously it would be much more fulsome if I had these records to give to you.
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