Katherine Zappone (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment 7:

In page 19, between lines 44 and 45, to insert the following subsections:
"(3) Every public body shall adopt guidelines pursuant to the operation of this Act and ensure that they are provided to all workers employed by the public body and shall ensure that all workers are aware of this Act.
(4) The Minister shall prepare and publish, within twelve months of the commencement of this Act a Code of Practice, employer and worker guidelines and
information on the operation of this Act, setting out the aims and principles of the Act, and shall provide such guidelines to every public body, following consultation with the Standards in Public Office Commission.".

Last week, I spoke about the creation of guidelines in light of the legislation's complexity and the importance of a duty on employers to raise awareness about the legislation.

The Minister has requested that the Labour Relations Commission draw up a code of practice. We discussed this matter to some degree on Second Stage. Amendment No. 7 suggests that there should be a stipulation in the legislation with regard to guidelines and awareness raising in order that these requirements should be placed above the level of regulation. We believe that the quality of such guidelines should come under independent scrutiny.

Essentially, we are of the view that the amendment will strengthen the legislation. In the context of its research on whistleblower protection, the OECD has indicated that, as a priority for legislation, awareness raising should be regularly undertaken in order to encourage the reporting of wrongdoing and corruption and that existing information on the protection of whistleblowers should be disseminated. The OECD also states that it is important that whistleblower protection should be supported through effective awareness-raising, communication and training efforts and that communicating to public or private sector employees their rights and obligations when exposing wrongdoing is essential. It is for these reasons we have tabled amendment No. 7.