Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail (i) any safeguards her Department has in place to safeguard whistleblowers; and (ii) who implements and oversees those safeguards.
Minister for Infrastructure: (i) The Department for Infrastructure has a comprehensive framework to safeguard those who raise concerns, as set out in its Raising a Concern Operational Guidance. Staff who raise genuine concerns are protected under the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, which provides statutory protection against detriment when disclosures are made in the public interest. The Department also commits to maintaining confidentiality, preventing victimisation, and securely recording and managing concerns. For nonstaff, including members of the public, contractors and agency workers, concerns are treated with the same seriousness and in strict confidence, with clear reporting channels and assurances that information will be handled sensitively, even though statutory protections apply only to workers.
(ii) Oversight of these safeguards is led by the Department’s Designated Officer who is responsible for triaging concerns, determining the appropriate response, maintaining the central record of cases, and reporting to the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and the NICS-wide Designated Officers’ Forum.
The full guidance is publicly available on the Department’s website: www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/raising-concern-operational-guidance
ENDS
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