Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

The Ministry of Defence follows HM Government policy published on gov.uk on the use of WhatsApp. This recognises that non-corporate communication channels such as WhatsApp may be used exceptionally provided due care is given for security and recordkeeping. ‘Disappearing message’ functions are permitted by the HMG policy on the condition that “any such use does not impact on your recordkeeping or transparency responsibilities”.