A NEW BILL that protects whistleblowers will be extended to cover the gardaí.

The government has decided that members of the force will be covered by the Protected Disclosures Bill, which Brendan Howlin has called “a catalyst to change”.

The bill was agreed in February and may be enacted by the end of the year.

When that happens, members of the force will have the same rights as any other worker including the right to access the Rights Commissioner Service and the Labour Court in cases where they feel they have been punished for making a disclosure.

This change builds on that earlier announced by Minister Brendan Howlin, which allowed members of An Garda Síochána to make protected disclosures to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.

The amendments, which will be introduced at committee stage on the bill in the Dáil later this month, will be the full mainstreaming of the members of An Garda Síochána under the framework established by the Protected Disclosures Bill, including the abolition of the current confidential recipient system for Garda whistleblowers.

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