My Department is currently preparing the General Scheme of the Bill to give effect to the commitments in the Programme for Government to introduce whistleblowers legislation. It is planned to submit the Draft Heads to the Government in the autumn of 2011 with a view to securing approval for the drafting of a Bill by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.
The objective of the legislation is to provide overarching legislation for enactment by the Oireachtas providing for good faith reporting and protected disclosure on a consistent basis across all sectors of the economy. The proposed legislation is, therefore, intended to provide an overarching legal charter for good faith reporting and protected disclosure for all employees and contractors, in both the public and private sectors. It will seek to ensure that all such parties will be treated equally and fairly within a unitary legislative framework.
In overall terms, the legislation will build on international precedents and best practice as well as the sectoral protections already in place in Ireland. The proposed legislation will address a number of significant issues, including the precise definition of good faith reporting and protected disclosure to be adopted; the scope of issues to be comprehended by whistleblowing; the rights of the complainant; the rights of the person, body or organisation complained of; appeal mechanisms and redress for employees against retributive action by employers.