Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The bulk of the correspondence actually just gives the technical details of how many cases of whistleblowers there were and how the Department has dealt with them. I know we have dealt with the allegations arising from cases when we had the Department of Justice and the Irish Prison Service before the committee.

Sometimes, however, we lose sight of the effect that being a whistleblower can have on an individual. The Department actually seems to paint a rosy picture of how whistleblowers are treated by it. I recently heard Mr. Noel McGree speak about his absolutely harrowing treatment as a whistleblower in the Irish Prison Service. Equally, there is a concern about the ongoing personal consequences years later.

If it is in order, I would like if the committee invited Mr. Noel McGree to come before us at some stage to outline his experience. Could that be added to the agenda for the next time the committee reviews its workplan? It would be of benefit to us just to hear what it feels like and the consequences of being a whistleblower, given what was said a couple of minutes ago about the previous correspondence.