THE Scottish Government has denied reports that Jason Leitch deleted WhatsApp messages every day during the Covid-19 pandemic and insisted all guidance was followed.
We told earlier how The Times reported that Scotland’s clinical director’s electronic messages could not be handed over to the UK Covid inquiry because they had been erased.
But now, ministers have rejected the suggestion and insisted that all record management guidance was followed, adding that thousands of documents have been sent to the probe.
It comes after the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s legal team has said it believes the “majority” of WhatsApp messages shared among Scottish Government officials during the pandemic “have not been retained”.
Deputy First Minister Shona Robison insisted that it was “not the culture” within the Scottish Government to use WhatsApps for decision making.
“All ministers and civil servants, including the National Clinical Director (NCD) Jason Leitch, have been co-operating fully with the COVID-19 inquiries since their establishment,” she said.
Robison added that ministers are “wholly committed” to cooperating with both the UK and Scottish Covid inquiries.
“This includes providing any requested material that we hold,” she said in a statement released on Friday.
“The Scottish Government records management policy makes clear what must be recorded in the official record, given that it isn't practical, cost-effective or necessary for any organisation to retain every exchange that everyone working within that organisation creates.
“While it is not the culture within Scottish Government to use WhatsApp for decision-making, our records management policy states clearly that government decisions, however they are made, should be recorded in the official record.”
The Deputy First Minister said that 13,000 documents drawn from the official record had been sent to the UK inquiry by Scottish Government officials, as well as “the corporate and personal statements requested”.
“The UK Inquiry has subsequently asked for WhatsApp messages relating to logistics and day-to-day communication, which of course we are working to provide,” she said.
“In the coming months, Ministers and senior officials will also appear before Inquiry hearings to respond to further questions.
“We look forward to doing so and, within that forum, helping the Inquiries to fully explore the decisions taken to handle the pandemic, and to identify the vital lessons to be learned for the future.”
As part of the inquiry, key decision makers - including ministers, former ministers and senior civil servants - have been asked to disclose communications, including those through informal channels such as Meta-owned WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams or Signal.
We told how on Thursday the Scottish Government said it needs a “legal basis” to release certain electronic messages to the Covid-19 inquiry, after the issue dominated FMQs.
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross (above) accused the First Minister and officials of “secrecy” after the counsel to the inquiry stated that the Scottish Government had not handed over any messages.
Jamie Dawson KC told the probe on Thursday morning the Scottish Government had been asked for “all communication” relating to decisions made during the pandemic, such as informal messages on WhatsApp and other text-based programs.
However, he said “no messages” had been disclosed.
In a statement released on Friday evening, the Scottish Government has insisted that as Covid-19 inquiry officials asked for messages relating to a wider scope than “government decisions”, they required a legal order to release the information, which had been requested by officials.
And, Humza Yousaf ordered an investigation by Scotland’s Solicitor General to ensure that ministers have met their legal obligations.
