Whitehall department fails to support whistleblowers

17 January 2014

After reviewing 39 whistleblowing policies across government and marking them against eight different criteria the National Audit Office has found that the Cabinet Office – Chancellor George Osborne’s department – is failing to support workers reporting matters of public interest at work in an official assessment.

According to the Guardian, the Whitehall department has failed to offer support to whistleblowers and were described as poor in two of the eight categories they were being assessed on.

They were also found to be incapable of offering confidentiality and access to independent advice, and as a result have been identified as the worst employer in the UK for whistleblowing policy, despite the government’s insistence that it believes in the protection of whistleblowers.

Whistleblowing policies are essential to a fair and equal workplace, as they provide the opportunity for workers to report suspected wrongdoing at work that is of such magnitude it is of public concern.

If government departments refuse to abide by such policies it means that workers are not being fully protected and consequently will fear blowing the whistle, potentially putting the public in danger.

In a response to the government’s recent consultation on Whistleblowing, Catherine Hobby highlighted the failings of current law. She said, on behalf of the IER,

“At present, the law governing Whistleblowing favours employers at a considerable expense to workers. It is hoped the Government will take this opportunity to redress the imbalance and effectively safeguard the rights of whistleblowers. If workers are not fully protected they will fear blowing the whistle and important allegations of malpractice, illegality, abuse and misdeeds will go undiscovered.”