Source: gov.ie
A new report on whistleblowing reports to Irish public bodies and competent authorities has been published.
On 10 January 2025, the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, announced the publication of the Protected Disclosure Act Statistical Data 2023 Report. The report provides analysis of the 1,162 disclosures made through both internal (to employers) and external channels (competent authorities) and provides some key insights into the volume, nature, and outcomes of these reports. This marks a significant milestone in the evaluation of Ireland’s whistleblower protection framework, following the transposition of the EU Whistleblowing Directive into Irish law through the adoption of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022.
Key Findings:
- 1,162 reports were submitted to public bodies in 2023, with 989 reports (85%) directed to external channels, such as prescribed persons, government ministers, and the newly established Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner (OPDC).
- 87 reports were made directly to the OPDC, and 171 were transmitted to the OPDC from other recipients, including 24 reports from prescribed persons. The report confirms the operation of the OPDC as primarily a referral body, with only 5% (14) cases directly followed up by the office.
- 173 reports (15%) were made through internal reporting channels within public bodies, as employers, themselves.
- 734 reports (63%) were deemed to require further follow-up. 161 reports (14%) were sent for further proceedings, indicating a substantial number of reports with actionable or investigable content.
- 211 reports (18%) were stated contain breaches of EU law.
- The majority of reports came from the health sector (373 to the Health Information and Quality Authority), followed by food safety (89 to the Food Safety Authority), and financial services (68 to the Central Bank of Ireland).
While the report highlights a notable €3.7 million recovery, there is limited detail on the broader qualitative outcomes of whistleblower reports, such as the effectiveness of investigations or the overall positive outcomes or impact of the law.
Issues with reporting of public bodies are noted, but not detailed in the report.
In his announcement, Minister Donohoe emphasised that this report represents the first in a series of annual publications that will provide vital data for evaluating the performance of the
Protected Disclosures Act. The data will also play a key role in the statutory review of the Act, set to begin in 2027. The data has already been provided to the EU Commission as required to by Member States to assist with the evaluation of the effectiveness of the EU Directive.