Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The high-profile whistleblower, the former Sergeant Maurice McCabe, exposed many wrongdoings. This is, therefore, important legislation and should hopefully lead to significant cultural change. I asked the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, last month how many protected disclosures he and his Department had received. He informed me that 52 protected disclosures had been received. That included protected disclosures directed to the Minister from workers in An Garda Síochána and the Irish Prison Service. In addition, the Irish Prison Service, the Legal Aid Board, the National Disability Authority, the Courts Service, An Garda Síochána, and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, all have their own protected disclosures policies in place and report separately on disclosures received. That is a significant number overall and there is a need for resources to be provided. Has the Government undertaken a review of how the Act is working, how effective it is and the level of resources required to deal with the numbers of disclosures? Does the Taoiseach believe there are sufficient protective measures in place to protect whistleblowers who have tried to do the right thing in the Irish Prison Service, An Garda Síochána or other agencies?

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