A letter read out by Health and Social Minister David Ashford at a Covid-19 briefing has apparently been destroyed.

He said it came from a ’member of DHSC staff’. It was critical of the Manx media and Dr Rachel Glover.

The Minister claimed the letter had been posted to him at home and said staff were ’demoralised’ by the portrayal of Dr Glover’s role in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

He read out the letter at a press briefing that was broadcast live on radio stations and internet sites on October 30.

Dr Glover helped to set up the Covid-19 testing lab in the island. The Examiner reported earlier this week that she and the Department of Health and Social Care were in talks to continue to employ her company, Taxa Genomics.

The letter, read by Mr Ashford, said: ’The implication that our entire testing regime is down to one individual and would not function without them is as far from the truth as can be.

’The media reporting and social media comments that I’ve seen over the last week or so have left me feeling why do I bother? We are very lucky on island to have highly trained and skilled staff who by working as a team have been able to put in place a testing regime that is second to none and will be the envy of many countries.

’But for the media to portray that this is down to one individual or push that individual’s views as definitive is highly insulting to the rest of us who over this year have also worked long hours and sacrificed both personal and family life to keep our island safe.’

The letter goes on to praise Dr Glover’s work but says it is ’only possible because she is part of a wider team’.

request

Liberal Vannin chairman Michael Josem put in a Freedom of Information request for the letter on November 1.

In a response received yesterday (Wednesday), he was told Mr Ashford had destroyed the letter since he had read it out.

Mr Josem told the Manx Independent questions still remain over why and when Mr Ashford destroyed the letter, before or after his Freedom of Information request, and who it had been sent by.

He said: ’It is inappropriate for the Health Minister to destroy documents like this which are of public interest. The House of Keys should investigate what other documents have been destroyed, and whether this is a deliberate attempt to avoid public scrutiny.’

Dr Glover also responded to the letter’s apparent demise on Twitter, she said: ’Well, there goes my DSAR (Data Subject Access Request) request. Shouldn’t all written correspondence to a government minister be kept?’