UK Parliament can now receive whistleblower disclosures

Members of the United Kingdom Parliament have been added to the list of prescribed persons to whom whistleblowers may make a protected disclosures under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 1999.

Under the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 1999 (the 1999 Order), whistleblowers are afforded employment protection if a protected disclosure is made to a prescribed person as listed in the schedule.

The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order 2014, which came into effect on 6 April 2014, amends the 1999 Order by adding members of the House of Commons (MPs) to the list of prescribed persons.

MPs are now the first category of prescribed person to whom a protected disclosure, for any schedule listed matter, may be made.

This amendment simplifies the previous system, whereby a whistleblower had to review the schedule for the type of matter the sought to disclose, and then make a protected disclosure to the relevant prescribed person.

Whistleblowers making a protected disclosure to MPs were previously afforded employment protection only in certain circumstances. It is anticipated that this amendment will broaden the effectiveness of the Order.

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