Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for Infrastructure what whistleblowing protections exist within her Department for private sector contractors and their employees, employed on public sector projects.
Minister for Infrastructure: Since January 2023, the previous whistleblowing procedures within the Civil Service were superseded by the Raising a Concern Policy Framework. This framework established a consistent approach across departments for handling concerns about potential wrongdoing.
In line with this framework, each department, including the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), was required to develop its own operational guidance tailored to its specific context. DfI has published its Raising a Concern Operational Guidance, which outlines the procedures for reporting, recording, and investigating concerns.
Importantly, this guidance includes a dedicated section (Paragraphs 44–51) that specifically addresses the process for raising concerns by contractors and their employees engaged on public sector projects. This section provides clear instructions on how such individuals can raise concerns within the Department. It also provides details of proscribed persons/bodies to which staff may report a serious concern, with protection afforded by the Public Interest Disclosure (NI) Order 1998.
Furthermore, employees of private sector contractors are also free to raise concerns outside the Department, including through external channels, with assurances of anonymity and confidentiality, should they prefer to do so.
The full guidance is publicly available on the Department’s website: http://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/raising-concern-operational-guidance
ENDS
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