Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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218. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of whistleblower complaints in his Department since the legislation was introduced in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25651/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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As required under the relevant legislation, my Department has a Protected Disclosures Policy in place under which a staff member who wishes to make a protected disclosure may do so to any of the following confidential recipients:

- an independent confidential service engaged for this purpose;

- the Head of the Internal Audit Unit in the Department, or

- any member of the Department’s Management Board.

Contact details for all of the above confidential recipients, as well as procedures for making a protected disclosure, are contained in the policy document which has been circulated to all staff and which is also available on the Department's intranet platform.

The numbers of Protected Disclosures received in the Department to date are:

2015 - Nil

2016 - Three

2017 - Two

2018 - One

2019 - Nil.