The Irish Whistleblower Protection Law

Irish Whistleblower Protection Law overview

On 21st July 2022 a new whistleblower protection law came into force in Ireland for all public and private organisations with 50 or more employees. 

In its implementation of the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive into national law, Ireland has overhauled whistleblower protection legislation provided under the existing Protected Disclosures Act 2014. 

The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 transposes the EU Directive 2019/1937 by significantly expanding its scope to include whistleblower protection for volunteers, shareholders, board members and job applicants for the first time. The Bill also now applies to all public and private sector organisations with 50 or more employees that are required to implement formal channels for employees to make protected disclosures.

For organisations with between 50 and 249 employees, the Bill provided an extension to the deadline of 17th December 2023 to establish these formal channels.

What does the Irish whistleblower law cover?

The Irish whistleblower protection law is based on the minimum standards of the EU Directive, which means companies are to comply with the following requirements: 

1. A secure channel for receiving whistleblower reports must be put in place 
2. Acknowledgment of receipt of the report  must be provided to the whistleblower within seven days 
3. An impartial person or department must be appointed to follow-up on the reports 
4. Records must be kept of every report received 
5. There must be diligent follow-up of the report by the designated person or department 
6. Feedback about the follow-up/investigation must be given to the whistleblower within three months 
7. All processing of personal data must be done in accordance with the GDPR regulation

What are the new rules to protect whistleblowers against retaliation?

The newly amended Bill introduces several important changes that strengthens existing whistleblower protection.

• The Bill introduces an obligation on all private organsations with 50 employees or more to establish formal reporting channels to make protected disclosures. 
• The new legislation extends the types of individuals protected under the Bill to include volunteers, board members, shareholders, unpaid trainees and job applicants. 
• Whistleblower protection is strengthened through reversal of the burden of proof in civil proceedings concerning allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers; expansion of interim relief measures to include acts of retaliation beyond dismissal; and criminal penalties for acts of retaliation. 
• The Bill requires enhanced data collection and publication provisions as regards the numbers of protected disclosures made.

Stronger enforcement of reporting requirements

Under the updated legislation, organizations are required to establish formal reporting channels and procedures. These requirements will be monitored and enforced by the Inspectorate of the Workplace Relations Commission.

Employers must acknowledge, follow up on and provide feedback for all reports received through these channels within the timeframes defined by the EU Directive.

Centralized support through the Protected Disclosures Commissioner

A new Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner was established within the Office of the Ombudsman to support the operation of the legislation.

When a whistleblower submits a report externally to one of the prescribed persons under the Act, the Commissioner will direct the disclosure to the appropriate authority if responsibility is unclear. This ensures that all protected disclosures are reviewed and addressed by the correct body.

Implementation and operational rollout

Following the enactment of the legislation, the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner began operations.