Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Murphy's proposition. It is important in the first instance that we have a standard collating mechanism so it will be easy to identify the number of protected disclosure declarations made and the number upheld. The statistics I can glean from the correspondence we have received so far would not inspire many people to make a protected disclosure. The rate at which disclosures and complaints are upheld is incredibly low. It would be useful for this committee, at some stage in the medium term, to carry out a full analysis of the experience of those who make protected disclosures and how they are dealt with by various Departments and agencies. The protected disclosures mechanism was considered by the Oireachtas to be an important route by which wrongdoing, maladministration, error or erroneous practices could be identified safely. We are looking at evidence from across several Departments indicating that protected disclosures are left in an administration process for a long number of years. At the end of the day, no action is taken on the vast majority of disclosures. That is not to suggest that there will not always be frivolous or unsubstantiated claims or allegations in these processes but the number of claims that are dismissed, passed on to somebody else or left sitting idle for many years points to a worrying practice. Therefore, there is work in this regard that this committee could usefully do. I would like that to be included in our deliberations on our work programme.