Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 June 2019
274. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of whistleblower complaints in her Department since the legislation was introduced in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25655/19]
View answerUnder Section 22 of the Protected Disclosures Act, public bodies are required to prepare a report not later than the 30th June each year setting out the number of protected disclosures made to it in the course of the immediately preceding year and certain other information relating to any such protected disclosures. Reports for the years 2015 - 2018 have been published on my Department's website and are available at
https://www.chg.gov.ie/about/policy-on-disclosure-of-wrongdoing-in-the-workplace/ .
I am advised that two potential Protected Disclosures have been received by my Department since the introduction of the relevant legislation in 2014. Details of the first of these, the investigation of which concluded that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing having occurred, are included in the 2017 Report. Following assessment, the second matter, which was received earlier this year and again related to a body under the aegis of the Department, was deemed not to be a Protected Disclosure within the provisions of the Act.
