Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 February 2014
149. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his response to public comments made by a former member of GSOC (details supplied) regarding shortcomings in the manner in which the Garda confidential recipient system deals with concerns of whistleblowers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5858/14]
View answerThe Garda Síochána (Confidential Reporting of Corruption or Malpractice) Regulations 2007 provide for an independent Confidential Recipient to whom members of the Force can report, in confidence, instances where they believe there may be corruption or malpractice within the Force. The Confidential Recipient is required to transmit each report to the Garda Commissioner for investigation, but there are strong safeguards in the Regulations for the protection of the identities of confidential reporters. This procedure was put in place as part of a sectoral approach towards the protection of whistleblowers, with different provisions made for different sectors.
This Government is taking a different approach, as promised in the Programme for Government, and is committed to a unified system of strong and effective protection for whistleblowers, in both the public and private sectors, based on international best practice. These proposals are contained in the Protected Disclosures Bill 2013, which has been published by my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Bill has been passed by Seanad Éireann and is at Second Stage in this House. I recently indicated that I was reviewing the relevant provisions of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, in the context of the Protected Disclosures Bill and in consultation with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, with a view to empowering the Garda Ombudsman Commission to receive and act on confidential reports by members of the Garda Síochána.
