MLAs at the Northern Ireland Assembly hear that the number of lost letters linked to an Encompass system failure could be close to 50,000, according to reporting from multiple outlets. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt answers questions in the Assembly about the incident and the scale of the problem. The reports describe uncertainty around the final total, indicating that the figure could be as high as around 50,000 rather than a confirmed exact count. The brief accounts focus on the minister’s statements during the question session and do not provide additional figures about when the letters were sent, how they were lost, or what safeguards or corrective steps are in place. The sources agree on the central point: MLAs are told the shortfall in delivered correspondence may involve tens of thousands of letters, with the possibility of the figure nearing 50,000 depending on how the affected mail is accounted for.