- The review will gather evidence on the effectiveness of the
current regime in enabling workers to speak up about wrongdoing
and protect those who do so.
- The evidence gathering stage of the review will conclude in
Autumn 2023.
A review of the whistleblowing framework – the laws that support
workers who blow the whistle on wrongdoing in the workplace – has
been launched by the Government today.
The review will seek views and evidence from whistleblowers, key
charities, employers and regulators.
Whistleblowing refers to when a worker makes a disclosure of
information which they reasonably believe shows wrongdoing or
someone covering up wrongdoing. Workers who blow the
whistle are entitled to protections, which were introduced
through the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA).
Successive governments have taken steps to strengthen
whistleblowing policy and practice.
For authorities tackling corruption, fraud and other economic
crime, whistleblowing is a crucial source of evidence, as these
activities and their perpetrators can only be exposed by
insiders.
It also provides a route for employees to report unsafe working
conditions and wrongdoing across all sectors.
This was keenly felt during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic,
when the Care Quality Commission and Health and Safety Executive
recorded sharp increases in the number of whistleblowing
disclosures they received.
Business Minister said:
Whistleblowing is a vital tool in tackling economic crime and
unsafe working conditions, and the UK was one of the first
countries in the world to develop a whistleblowing framework.
This review has been a priority for me since joining government,
and it will take stock of whether the whistleblowing framework is
operating effectively and protects those who call out wrongdoing
in the workplace.
This review will cover central topics, key to the whistleblowing
framework:
- who is covered by whistleblowing protections.
- the availability of information and guidance for
whistleblowing purposes (both on gov.uk and that provided by
employers).
- how employers and prescribed persons respond to
whistleblowing disclosures, including best practice.
The full terms of reference can be found on the gov.uk website.
Notes to editors
The full terms of reference have been published on gov.uk :
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-whistleblowing-framework
