business sectors, while whistleblower codes and guidance throughout the public service are worryingly few. Ireland's economic collapse was due in large part to the failure of proper regulation by the state in the financial and construction sectors. It is incumbent on the legislature to take all possible steps to redress this shortcoming by ensuring that mechanisms are adopted where an employee or other person can, in good faith, make disclosures in a regulated manner about wrongdoing.
This Bill provides a clear statement that such employees and other persons who, in good faith and in the public interest, make protected disclosures to specified persons will be free from penalisation by their employers or by subsequent actions at civil law.
It is important to ensure that the protection of whistleblowers does not result in difficulties for businesses who are conducting their activities in compliance with the relevant regulations and ethics of their industry. Rather its purpose is to remove any threat to such persons and to enhance transparency and good governance in commercial and state enterprises by providing protection for people who alert the proper authorities of specified wrongdoings by the state or commercial entities.
Provisions of Bill
Section 1 defines the short title of the Act and provides that it must be commenced within 120 days of its enactment.
Section 3 provides the National Electoral Office will be established six months after the enactment of this Act.
Section 4 provides for the changing of the name of the Standards in Public Office Commission to the National Electoral Office.
Section 5 is a technical section.
Section 6 provides that the electoral register will be maintained by the National Electoral Office instead of the local county councils.
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