The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 commenced in July 2014. The objective of the legislation is to help encourage workers to report wrongdoing by providing protection against penalisation. It was updated by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, which came into effect from 1st January 2023. The 2022 Act also transposes the EU Whistleblowing Directive into Irish law.

Under the Act a worker can make a disclosure on a matter where they believe there is a wrongdoing in the workplace (defined under the Act). In such circumstances the Act afford protections for the worker against penalisation due to making the disclosure.

The Act is not a replacement for existing mandatory reporting regimes and it is not a replacement for existing grievance mechanisms. It is intended to deal with matters of public interest and not intended for reporting of matters of private interest.

Under the Act there is a requirement to have in place (1) Procedures for Internal Reporting relation to a protected disclosure, and (2) Procedures for External Reporting in relation to a protected disclosure to a Prescribed Person as set out by Ministerial Order.

• Protected Disclosures Annual Report 2022 – 2023
• Protected Disclosures Annual Report 2021 – 2022
• Protected Disclosures Annual Report 2020 – 2021
• Protected Disclosures Annual Report 2019 – 2020
• Protected Disclosures Annual Report 2018 – 2019
• Protected Disclosures Annual Report 2016 – 2017
• Protected Disclosures Annual Report 2017 – 2018
• Protected Disclosures Act 2014
• Protected Disclosures Amendment Act 2022
• Protected Disclosures Act Interim Guidance Nov 2022
• Kerry County Council Protected Disclosures Policy and Procedures Internal
• Protected Disclosures Prescribed Persons Policy 2023 KCC
• Protected Disclosures Policy on Financial Reporting Matters