Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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239. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to introduce new legislation to deal with whistle-blower allegations. [27838/21]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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240. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to reform protected disclosure regulations. [27839/21]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 240 together.

Directive (EU) 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law ("the Whistleblowing Directive") was adopted in October 2019 and Ireland has until 17 December 2021 to transpose it into Irish law.

On 12 May 2021, following approval from Government, I published the General Scheme of a Bill to amend the Protected Disclosures Act to give effect to the Directive. The General Scheme has now been referred to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and Taoiseach for pre-legislative scrutiny and also to the Attorney General to commence formal drafting of the Bill for presentation to the Oireachtas later this year.

The proposals I have set out in the General Scheme will enhance the already comprehensive protections afforded under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 for disclosers.