Former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jenny Pyper, has admitted to deleting messages from her work and personal devices, despite initially claiming that she had not. Pyper made the admission during an inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland.
Pyper, who served as interim head of the civil service for nine months, had a key role in overseeing the pandemic response. The inquiry sought to secure all her relevant communications. Initially, Pyper stated that she had returned her civil service phone and laptop and had no access to them thereafter, and that no messages had been deleted. However, she later admitted that this was not accurate and that she had indeed deleted material from her devices.
While Pyper clarified that the deleted material was not related to the pandemic, her admission raises questions about transparency and accountability in the civil service. The inquiry also heard about leaks from ministers during the decision-making process, with Pyper describing “poor behavior from all ministers” and continuous leaks to the media.
Overall, Pyper's admission of deleting messages from her devices highlights the need for a thorough investigation into the handling of the pandemic in Northern Ireland and the importance of transparency and accountability in public service.
