Ms Jacqui McCrum:

In relation to the external oversight board, Deputy Cronin asked about the membership of the board. The terms of reference and the membership should be published on the Department's website. It is chaired by Brian MacCraith. The membership comprises Patricia King, Josephine Feehily, Aongus Hegarty, Julie Sinnamon, and myself. If the Deputy wishes, and if she wants some more details on that, we can send her a link to that.

The Deputy referred to whistleblowers and I am looking at them through the lens of protected disclosures. Regarding the numbers of protected disclosures I currently have, at the moment I have 48 of them open. We have closed 33. That total figure is over many years and goes back to 2014.

In relation to how whistleblowers are treated, that is an issue that will probably come up through the statutory inquiry. I can assure the Deputy that I have treated them appropriately within my period of time and certainly with regard to other people's times. However, there are differing views as to how they may have been treated by colleagues or other members, wherever they worked. It is a very complex area but I can assure the Deputy that in relation to any whistleblower or anything I get through protected disclosures, they come through directly to my office. Somebody who is reporting directly to me is overseeing that.