Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 8:

In page 16, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “(f) the provision to the reporting person, where he or she so requests in writing, of further feedback at intervals of 3 months until such time as the procedure relating to the report concerned is closed, the first such period of 3 months commencing on the date on which feedback is provided to the reporting person under paragraph (e);”.

These amendments provide that a reporting person can, on request, seek further feedback at three-month intervals until the procedure relating to the report has concluded. This will apply to employers, prescribed persons and the commissioner. This implements recommendations 26 and 48 of the committee's pre-legislative scrutiny report.

Amendments Nos. 8, 18, 34, 41 and 45 provide for the insertion of the relevant text that provides for the provision of further feedback so that it applies to employers in respect of internal reports, prescribed persons in respect of external reports, the protected disclosures commissioner in respect of both external reports and reports to Ministers and to any suitable persons the commissioner transmits a report to.

The remaining amendments - Nos. 9, 10, 19 to 21, inclusive, 35, 36, 40, 42 to 44, inclusive, and 46 to 48, inclusive - are a series of technical amendments to reflect changes to the numbering of various provisions arising from the inclusion of the new provision. They are consequential to the provision I just described.