Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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20. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the situation in Tallaght Hospital in Dublin 24 for staff who engage in whistle-blowing, as in the case of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42939/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The health service is committed to maintaining the highest possible standards of care for patients and providing employees with a safe system of work to enable them to deliver a high quality service. The health service is also committed to promoting a culture of openness and accountability so that employees can report any concerns they may have in relation to their workplace. Section 103 of the Health Act 2007, which came into operation on 1 March 2009, provides for the making of protected disclosures by health service employees.

Furthermore, the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which became operational on 15 July 2014, provides a robust statutory framework within which workers can raise concerns regarding potential wrongdoing that has come to their attention in the workplace in the knowledge that they can avail of significant employment and other protections if they are penalised by their employer or suffer any detriment for doing so.

Tallaght Hospital has advised that, in any HR scenario, the Hospital has a responsibility to ensure the rights of all parties are upheld and that issues are addressed through due process and in accordance with the HR framework in place within the hospital. It would be inappropriate to comment further on individual hospital HR matters.

Separately to this any patient complaint must be investigated. It is my firm view that patient confidentiality must not be breached or patient information used without permission.