Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is great we are talking about protected disclosures again. Indeed it is a very topical issue. We have seen reports recently in the Irish Examinerin regard to reported problems in the Matt Talbot Adolescent Services, MTAS, in Cork. It reported that the HSE commissioned a major review of the operations on foot of a number of protected disclosures. From that it is my understanding that the review was conducted by two external social care consultants but that their final report was not published. Some concerns were that it could have been too damning. One of the issues arising out of this which I am interested in with regard to the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill was that one of the women who reportedly made that protected disclosure had been made redundant. This is something that arose out of that and about which I have been questioned. Will the Minister advise, in respect of a hearing of a person who fights and awaits a hearing before the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC ,or the Labour Court, whether, if the new Bill is enacted, that hearing then will take place under the new protected disclosures regime? In the case of an action submitted before the new Bill has been enacted, will the hearing be under the old law?

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