Protect is calling for a shake-up of UK regulatory bodies with enforcement powers, calling on them to ‘step up’ and better regulate the industries they monitor.
Head of Policy at Protect, Andrew Pepper-Parsons, said, “Too many of our callers who approach their regulators find a dead end for their concerns, or receive stony silences instead of feedback.
“Our Better Regulators campaign will see a diverse range of regulators come together to discuss how we can improve responses to whistleblowing in the regulatory sector. Early indicators from conversations we’ve had show a willingness and enthusiasm, which is fantastic.”
Regulators have come under fire for many high-profile scandals in recent years, often with little urgency to investigate leaving the general public suffering. The HBOS scandal where a whistleblower tried to alert her bosses to mass fraud and the Oxfam sex for aid scandals are just two of many regulatory failures.
The Better Regulators Campaign will see Protect engage with more than 50 of the UK’s most powerful regulators to look at their whistleblowing processes. The overall campaign aim is to achieve a sea change amongst regulators in the area of whistleblowing and for all regulators to come together to share and learn best practice.
In 2017, the Government made it compulsory for regulators to annually publish:
– the numbers of concerns raised from whistleblowers
– a summary of any enforcement action/regulatory action that’s come from the whistleblowing disclosure
– a summary of the impact any enforcement/regulatory action has had
Eighteen of the regulators are ‘technically compliant’ because they have published a report – but a report without a single whistleblowing disclosure.
Head of Policy, Andrew Pepper-Parsons, added, “While it’s positive most regulators have published reports, we’re disappointed so many have not complied with all elements of the reporting duty. We’re also concerned by those regulators who have published reports stating they have received no disclosures and question whether these regulators are doing enough to encourage whistleblowing in their sector.”
The Protect Better Regulator League Table shines a light on regulators yet to publish data or those falling short. A round-table event, Better Regulators – Making Whistleblowing Work – takes place on April 29 to learn how the UK regulatory industry can learn from each other and improve for the better.
Visit our Better Regulators Campaign