Protected Disclosures

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and its Management Board is strongly committed to supporting a culture where all our workers can safely speak up and report any concerns of relevant wrongdoing as defined in the legislation, and to provide the necessary supports to those who raise genuine concerns.

Free and independent supports are available to anyone considering making, or having made, a protected disclosure. Anyone can contact the free and confidential Speak Up helpline (1800 844 866) or use the Secure Report Form, email or post, which is operated by Transparency International Ireland. This is completely independent of the department.

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has updated its Protected Disclosures Policy to take account of the Statutory Guidance published by DPENDR in November 2023 and recommendations from the 2024 internal audit report.

A Protected Disclosure is a disclosure of information which, in the reasonable belief of a worker, tends to show one or more relevant wrongdoings that came to the attention of the worker in a work-related context and is disclosed in the manner prescribed in the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 as amended by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022.

An individual in a work-related relationship with the Department who acquires information on relevant wrongdoings in a work-related context and who is or was:

• an employee (including a person who is or was a civil servant within the meaning of the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956)
• an independent contractor
• an agency worker
• a trainee
• a shareholder of an undertaking
• a member of the administrative, management or supervisory body of an undertaking including non-executive members
• a volunteer and
• an individual who acquired information on a relevant wrongdoing during a recruitment process;
• an individual who acquired information on a relevant wrongdoing during pre-contractual negotiations (other than a recruitment process).

A disclosure must be submitted in writing, by using the Form for Reporting a Protected Disclosure (Appendix 2 of Policy):

• Preferably by email to protecteddisclosures@dcee.gov.ie or by post to the Protected Disclosures Team, ICG Section, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Elm House, Earlsvale Road, Cavan H12 A8H7
  
• Alternatively they may be made to the Minister or Minister of State of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, preferably by email to MinisterProtectedDisclosures@dcee.gov.ie or by post marked confidential to Minister or Minister of State of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, c/o Protected Disclosures Team, ICG Section, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Elm House, Earlsvale Road, Cavan H12 A8H7.
  
• If a worker wishes to make a disclosure verbally, the DCEE Protected Disclosures Team (protecteddisclosures@dcee.gov.ie) will capture the information in a record, show the draft record to the reporting person to provide the reporting person an opportunity to sign off and comment on it before the final version is agreed.

Note - In accordance with the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 , Protected Disclosures received by the Minister or Minister for State will be forwarded directly to the Protected Disclosures Commissioner within 10 calendar days of receipt and that following transmission any queries or further correspondence should be directed to the Commissioner.

Certain persons are prescribed to receive protected disclosures ("prescribed persons"). This includes the heads or senior officials of a range of bodies involved in the supervision or regulation of certain sectors of the economy or society.

The full list of prescribed persons is contained in SI 367/2020.

The Act, subject to the exemptions provided therein, imposes a legal obligation on the recipient of a Protected Disclosure to keep the identity of the worker making the report confidential, and sets out the extent of that obligation. Those involved in the processing of a Protected Disclosure will take care to ensure that in relation to the security and management of records (whether digital or manual) the reporting person’s identity is protected. Full details are available in the Policy.

Annual Reports on Protected Disclosures are published on the department's website in accordance with Section 22 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014.