Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 12 July (HL1536), what if any access the National Audit Office has to private emails which they regard as amounting to “substantive discussions or decision generated in the course of conducting government business” but which have not been copied to a government email address.

As set out in the answer to HL1536, material amounting to “substantive discussions or decision generated in the course of conducting government business“ should be transferred to the official record and, as such, will be accessible by the NAO in the usual way. In addition, and as set out in Managing Public Money, when the NAO investigates any public sector organisation, it should get full cooperation in provision of papers.