Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is right that, by definition, a volunteer does not face detriment in terms of pay or promotion prospects, as would arise for a worker. It is also true to say, however, that many people who volunteer for organisations within the charitable sector, including, for instance, section 38 and 39 organisations, do so on the basis that they have a personal vested interest in the work being carried out by that organisation. In the case of a parent or sibling of somebody with a profound disability who volunteers with a particular organisation, to give an example, that person is not being paid, but he or she is still doing work on behalf of the organisation. That work is an important part of the person's life and an important commitment he or she has made to the organisation. Let us then imagine a situation where this person, in the course of carrying out his or her voluntary efforts, encounters substantial wrongdoing. Should he or she not have access to the whistleblowing mechanisms and associated protections, not so much in respect of loss of pay or promotion prospects but in a context where an individual could potentially be unceremoniously told his or her efforts were no longer required? While this would not represent a loss of income, it would represent something traumatic and very unjust for the individual in question. That is what I am getting at in this proposal.