Parties demand whistleblowers’ law

FINE Gael and Labour will this week combine forces to pressurise the Government on whistleblowers’ legislation that has been stalled for almost seven years.

The Whistleblowers Protection Bill - which was introduced as a private members bill by Labour leader Pat Rabbitte and has direct relevance to the case of disgraced Drogheda obstetrician Michael Neary - passed the second stage in the Dáil last June, but has failed progress further.

The bill aims to provide protection from civil liability to employees who make certain disclosures “reasonably and in good faith” in relation to the conduct of the business and affairs of their employers.

It also prohibits penalisation of employees by their employers in such circumstances.

Yesterday, Mr Rabbitte said the case for the legislation had increased significantly. He said groups such as the Irish Nurses Organisation, the Irish Bank Officials Association and the Irish Airline Pilots Association have called for comprehensive statutory protection for employees who reveal practices that are incompetent, wrong, or corrupt.

His party and Fine Gael have now tabled a joint motion asking the Oireachtas to instruct the Select Committee on Enterprise and Small Business to begin consideration of the Committee Stage of the Bill and to complete its work by June 1 of this year.

Mr Rabbitte said: “Had such legislation been in place, might it have encouraged others to draw attention to the activities of Michael Neary before he had done such appalling damage to so many women?”

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said: “It is quite clear to me that whistleblowers’ legislation would have made it easier for individuals to come forward and report the sort of cases highlighted in the (Lourdes Hospital) report by Judge Harding Clark.”

The Government says it will deal with the whistleblowers issue on a sector by sector basis. Last year, provision for a whistleblowers’ charter was included in the Garda Síochána Bill.