Protected Disclosures

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022

Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Questions (222)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

222. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of protected disclosures received by his Department in each of the years 2019 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; if an external contractor has been engaged regarding a protected disclosure over that time period; if so, the cost of same; and the number of protected disclosures that were rejected, accepted and that remain under review for the time period in question. [13057/22]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

My Department has procedures in place for protected disclosures that have been developed in line with the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and agreed by the Management Board.  The Department has a strong commitment to ensuring its culture and working environment encourages, facilitates and supports employees.  This particularly refers to anyone who might wish to "speak up" on an issue that impinges on the Department’s ability to carry out its responsibilities.

The table below details the number of protected disclosures received by my Department from 2019 to date in 2022:

2019	2020	2021	2022 (to date)
0	0	1	0

The protected disclosure received in late 2021 is under review. 

No external contractor has been engaged by my Department regarding a protected disclosure during that time period.