Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Without getting into the historical issue of that legislation or how other people are employed, the challenge here relates to the fact that moneylender would claim that it does not directly employ the individuals who sell the loans but that they are self-employed and, therefore, not entitled to that type of protection, which leaves a huge gap in respect of somebody coming forward with the information and the protections that could extend to him or her.

The Government's proposed Bill would exempt private sector firms with 50 employees or fewer but an accountancy firm, for example, with fewer than 50 employees could be dealing with significant volumes of funds. If an employee identified wrongdoing, perhaps in the form of tax abuse or corporate malfeasance, he or she would not enjoy the same protections as public whistleblowers or workers in firms with more than 50 employees. Will this not create unnecessary risks?