Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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50. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of protected disclosures received by his Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number that were accepted as a protected disclosure; the number that were in part or fully examined by a third party or consultancy; the number of protected disclosures under investigation over this period; and the number that were finalised and the contents accepted and acted on. [16036/21]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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51. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of protected disclosures received by his Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021 from officials within his Department; the number of officials who made protected disclosures over the period and who are now not working in his Department; and the number of protected disclosures received from retired officials of his Department over the period. [16054/21]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 51 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that Section 22 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 requires that an annual report be published in relation to disclosures received by the Department.  This is available on the Department's website on gov.ie, at the link below, and sets out that there were no protected disclosures received between the years 2014 to 2020 inclusive.  I can confirm that this continues to be the position in respect of 2021 to date.

My Department protects the identity of correspondents in line with the requirements of the Protected Disclosure Act in cases purporting to be protected disclosures.  Where such cases are found on examination not to be protected disclosures, they are dealt with in line with normal procedures and are not included in my Department’s annual report. 

The Department also protects the identity of correspondents that seek to make, or copy, disclosures to me under section 8(2) of the Act.  As none of those disclosures received were appropriate to be dealt with by my Department, and will be included in the annual reports of the relevant bodies, they are not included in my Department’s annual report.