Andrew Pepper-Parsons The employment case between Home Secretary Priti Patel and former senior civil servant Sir Philip Rutnam may have concluded with a settlement agreement – but the case has thrown up many questions around whistleblowing culture within Government and reform of the Ministerial Code. The case has been reported to have been settled for £340,000 plus … Read more
The past few weeks have not been pretty for the Third Sector. In January, the lnternational Development Committee published its report, Progress on tackling the sexual exploitation and abuse of aid beneficiaries, which found abuse of beneficiaries was rife. The report notes that since the Oxfam sex scandal ‘the Department for International Development, non-governmental organisations, private … Read more
Key building safety proposals from the Hackitt review following the Grenfell Tower tragedy will finally be implemented this year when the Building Safety Bill is made law. But many – Dame Judith Hackitt included – are urging the construction sector to start preparation now for the new measures coming into force by 2023. The public … Read more
Concerns over 300 Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) by HS2 railway line construction project has been debated in the House of Lords who say wide scale use of NDAs could be ‘undermining public trust’ in infrastructure projects. NDAs are legal agreements that prevent the disclosure of commercial information by those who are signed up to them, but … Read more
We are pleased to see the Government give reassurance to whistleblowers raising concerns about Furlough Fraud. Neither the proposed powers (in the Finance Bill) to recover money paid illegally through the scheme (formally called the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme) nor fraud charges will be levelled at those who raise these concerns. Background Furlough fraud makes … Read more
Covid-19 is exposing good and bad practice when it comes to sectors who put employee welfare first and foremost. Unsurprisingly, retail is not leading the way, as highlighted by the quite shocking reports of working conditions of Boohoo suppliers in Leicester. As the UK’s whistleblowing charity, we advise workers from all sectors. At the start … Read more
Protect with the support of Slater & Gordon Lawyers has launched Silence in the City 2 (SITC2 2020), a new report examining whether whistleblowing culture within financial services organisations has improved following the introduction of Whistleblowing Rules by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This blog will examine what employers can learn from the research. Background: … Read more
In the UK, certain regulators are recognised as ‘prescribed persons’ by the government, for example the Care Quality Commission and the Health and Safety Executive. Being a ‘prescribed person’ means that an organisation can be approached to receive and handle specific concerns, as listed online. This matters for whistleblowers, as making a disclosure of information … Read more
