Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

I hope interference devices are not part of that code of practice. The Minister has not responded to my question. The GRECO group, the group of states against corruption in the Council of Europe, came into being because Ireland was one of the 14 countries which signed its ratification and, as a founder member, we should seriously consider its recent evaluation report. Apart from referring to the need for clear rules and guidelines for training public officials, the Minister has not commented on whether such training exists.

The report calls for more adequate protection for public officials who act as whistleblowers when they discover corruption. The group is calling for that protection and implies that it does not exist. GRECO points out that, in principle, nothing prevents a public official from reporting incidents of corruption to a superior, the Standards in Public Office Commission or to the Garda, as the Minister stated, but there is no legal obligation——

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