With more than half a million staff working in the civil service its vital to public accountability that Government departments are getting whistleblowing right – especially as they’re funded through the public purse. Following a critical report senior officials from the Cabinet Office, HMRC and DWP have reported back on how they’re improving their whistleblowing arrangments across the civil service.
With the growth in anonymous whistleblowing reporting platforms we look into the pros and cons of trusting an external reporting tool – and what this means for both employers and whistleblowers.
Sharing information and raising concerns anonymously is a cornerstone to whistleblowing. With the Veterans Minister, Johnny Mercer, under pressure to provide whistleblower names at the Afghan Inquiry there are fears MPs’ trusted roles are under threat.
From advertising and fashion to the music industry, every sector is now seemingly having its own #MeToo moment. One of the latest embroiled in scandal is the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service where matters have advanced so far that the Welsh Government has been forced to step in and take over. Another stark reminder that culture really matters and there needs to be a duty to investigate claims for all organisations.
The largest bank in the United States – JP Morgan – has been fined $18 million for breaching whistleblower protection rules – one of the most significant penalties imposed by the American financial regulator. As concerns grow in the UK that wealthy corporations are abusing the law to silence their critics, the story offers a timely lead on what the UK could be doing better.
The Post Office Horizon scandal is one of Britain’s biggest miscarriages of justice – in this blog we examine the role of whistleblowers in bringing the scandal to light and the changes we would like to see to prevent future scandals of this kind.
If a whistleblower can’t disclose their concerns directly to an employer, or they have been ignored, or are not satisfied with their response, then they can escalate concerns to a relevant regulator to investigate. But, if your employer is a regulator, who do you raise concerns to?
Water companies don’t seem to be able to stay out of the headlines. In the past year alone there have been 300,000 instances of firms discharging raw sewage into rivers and seas – most of these being illegal. Now Ofwat has released updated whistleblowing expectations for water companies. We ask whether this will help address wrongdoing in the industry and give would-be whistleblowers the courage to speak up.
The National Audit Office, the independent public spending watchdog, reports that progress to improve whistleblowing in the civil service is slow and inconsistent. Much has already been written about how difficult it is for civil servants to raise concerns outside of their department but this new look at what is happening inside government is disappointing.
As officials from governments, Member States, parliaments, civil society and the private sector come together for one of the world’s largest anti-corruption gatherings we explore a new resolution calling on member states to recognise the role whistleblowers play in the fight against corruption and provide them from retaliation. .
