'Government should consider introducing additional income protections for whistleblowers'

Oireachtas committee told measure would 'incentivise people' to speak up on wrongdoing

John Devitt, chief executive of Transparency International Ireland.

The Government should consider introducing additional income protections for whistleblowers to “incentivise people” to speak up on wrongdoing, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Workers in areas like financial services should receive full compensation, including bonuses, if they are unfairly dismissed because of whistleblowing, said John Devitt, the chief executive of Transparency International Ireland (TII).

Mr Devitt told the Oireachtas finance committee that research carried out by the non-governmental organisation found fear of consequences for whistleblowing particularly in sectors where the workers "are highly specialised, such as financial services and where they receive income other than what’s provided for in their contract and their salary".

“They would depend very much on bonuses.”

He added TII has previously raised this issue with the Department of Public Expenditure, saying that caps on rewards for workers be removed and replaced with ones which are “equitable in the circumstances”.

“As it stands, the worker will be compensated in respect of five years of salary if they are found to have been unfairly dismissed, but this would not protect a worker in [the] financial services sector, who doesn't just lose five years of salary, but loses five years of salary and bonuses.”

Mr Devitt said this was a reason to consider changing the law on whistleblowing, to “incentivise people” to speak up on wrongdoing”.

The hearing on protected disclosure legislation comes after significant attention around Garda whistleblowers, including a case involving Detective Superintendent Brian O’Reilly over defective holsters in 2023.

The disclosure included allegations about faulty holsters and the storage and use of faulty ammunition. 

Then justice minister Helen McEntee forwarded the disclosure to the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commission, which referred it to the secretary general of the Department of Justice, Oonagh McPhillips.