John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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214. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the process within his Department for the dealing with protected disclosures under the 2014 Act; if the examinations of such disclosures are carried out by an independent authority or persons other than those within the organisation to which the disclosure refers; the number of disclosures received by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15074/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s Protected Disclosure Policy, which sets out the general process followed when a confirmed protected disclosure is received, is available online at: www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/CorporateServices/ProtectedDisclosures/FileDownLoad%2C43451%2Cen.pdf.

Employees can report a concern under this policy via internal channels, or they may seek to make their disclosure through alternative, external channels as detailed in the policy. All disclosures, whether reported through internal or external channels, are carefully examined, informed by the provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014.

Under section 22 of the Act, my Department is required to publish an annual report setting out the number of protected disclosures received in the preceding year (if any) and the action taken. No protected disclosures were received in the Department from 15 July to 31 December 2014, the first period of operation of the Act. The 2014 report is available here: www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/CorporateServices/ProtectedDisclosures/FileDownLoad%2C43482%2Cen.pdf.

In the period covered by the report for the period 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015, one protected disclosure was received from a worker in a body in relation to which I have legislative functions. A nominated official in the Department completed an examination of the matter and followed up with the relevant parties as necessary. No protected disclosures were received from workers of the Department in the period covered by this report, which is available at the following link - www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/dhpclg_section_22_protected_disclosures_act_annual_report_2015.pdf.