The Minister of the Presidency announced this Thursday that ministers, secretaries of state and cabinet leaders will receive training on how to deal with classified information when they take up office, among other things to “identify a suspected irregularity”.
In the ‘briefing’ following the meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Presidency Minister was asked about the rules that the Chiefs of Cabinet must follow to report a situation to the Information System of the Portuguese Republic (SIRP), in an allusion to the hearing , on the fourth Thursday evening in the TAP Commission of Inquiry, by Eugénia Correia, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Infrastructure.
Mariana Vieira da Silva noted that she does not comment on “hearing news”, noting that, “with the start of a legislature”, when a government takes office or a reshuffle takes place, ministers, secretaries of state and cabinet leaders receive “a range of information” on “various topics”.
In addition to “bureaucratic and normal” information – such as “the salary procedure and other duties” – the presidency minister said these members also receive training on “fundamental elements”, such as how to keep information on an “electronic level”. , on computers or mobile phones.
“How should we communicate and how should we use them. How should we signal any suspicion of any irregularity in accessing this information and also information on how to handle classified information,” he said.
According to Mariana Vieira da Silva, “this training is provided by the services responsible for this case, it is not provided by a member of the government”, who has “no guidance other than that of the services that manage these processes”.
“Some of the rules are common sense, others specifically address the special responsibilities of accessing information held by a member of government, and still others relate to what should be signaled when an unusual element arises,” he said. .
Among these non-normal elements, the minister cited the example of “losing a mobile phone” or “any other fact that does not essentially guarantee the set of rules presented at the beginning”.
During this press conference, Mariana Vieira da Silva was also asked if the government’s work is affected by the revelations made by the Commission of Inquiry to TAP.
In response, the Minister for the Presidency reiterated that since the beginning of the work of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, the Government has “emphasized that it is now for the development of the workers to determine everything that the ladies and gentlemen of the Assembly of the Republic understand which should be investigated”.
“The government is waiting for the end of these works and we have always said that with regard to the issue being analyzed in the framework of the parliamentary committee of inquiry, we will say nothing until the end of these works,” he referred.
Vieira da Silva emphasized that “the government is fully focused on the development of its work” and listed a number of measures that have just entered into force or will be implemented soon, such as the supplementary child allowance, updating of salaries and meal vouchers for civil servants or the discussion, this Friday in parliament, of the program “Meer Wonen”.
When asked whether, as the Public Prosecution Service has already confirmed an investigation into the events at the Ministry of Infrastructure, this situation is not already beyond parliamentary scope, the minister replied that “the Prime Minister has already said what he had to say “. on these developments, and the “government will not add any further comments”.
“Of course, what’s up to justice is up to justice, all entities are fully cooperating with what justice understands to investigate and determine,” he said.
When asked about the remarks of the president of the republic – who said on Thursday that “the prestige of the institutions is the most important thing” – Mariana Vieira da Silva replied that she “entirely” agrees with that statement.
Source: DN
