The Government’s Response to the Tenth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
In December 2005, the Government responded to Getting the Balance Right - the Tenth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
The Committee had recommended that:
“Leaders of public bodies should reiterate their commitment to the effective implementation of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and ensure its principles and provisions are widely known and applicable in their own organisation. They should commit their organisations to following the four key elements of good practice i.e.
(i) Ensuring that staff are aware of and trust the whistleblowing avenues;
(ii) Provision of realistic advice about what the whistleblowing process means for openness, confidentiality and anonymity;
(iii) Continual review of how the procedures work in practice; and
(iv) Regular communication to staff about the avenues open to them.”
In its response to these recommendations, Her Majesty’s Government stated that:
“The Government agrees on the importance of ensuring that staff are aware of and trust the whistleblowing process, and on the need for boards of public bodies to demonstrate leadership on this issue. It also agrees on the need for regular communication to staff about the avenues open to them to raise issues of concern. There is some guidance on raising issues of concern for staff of public bodies but the Government accepts that it would benefit from some updating. It will therefore revise and reissue the Cabinet Office guidance for NDPB staff and board members making clear the requirement for effective and clear procedures for raising issues of concern, as well as the requirements of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998." (cm 6723)
The full text on whistleblowing from Getting the Balance Right can be found here.