Madam, - Capt Evan Cullen, President of IALPA, rightly complains (April 21st) that significant, long-established, illegal and unacceptable practices can remain unidentified over long periods, even by those charged with conducting inspections.
He is also right to say that "Official Ireland" often reacts to reports of corporate deficiencies in a way that seems to derive from a desire to protect organisations. He calls for a "whistleblowers' charter".
I could not agree more. Six years ago, on March 24th, 1999, I introduced in Dáil Éireann a Whistleblowers' Protection Bill. What I proposed was a set of new statutory rights for employees, whether in the public or the private sector, to report information of illegality or malpractice which they discovered in the course of their work. I believed then - and still do - that this is an essential step to restoring confidence in our major institutions, whether industrial, financial or governmental.
For a while, I had reason to believe the Government agreed with me.
Under the provisions of my Bill, an employee who blew the whistle on fraud or malpractice would be entitled to protection against dismissal or any other sanction which his or her employer attempted to impose. I believe these rights are essential if we are serious about ending the "nod and wink" culture that permeates certain sectors of Irish business and public life.
The Bill was not initially opposed by the Government, so it passed its second stage and was referred to a select committee on June 16th, 1999. But the committee proceedings were delayed to give Tánaiste Mary Harney, whose responsibility it then was, time to consider the Bill in detail and to propose any necessary amendments. This was understandable and we waited in patience for the results of her deliberations.
The Bill lapsed on the dissolution of the 28th Dáil, but after the general election it was restored again to the order paper by the Government. There was hope that some conclusion might eventually be reached. But since then, nothing.
It is clear now that accepting the Bill at second stage was preferable to the embarrassment of voting it down. But there was never any intention to actually implement it. Better simply to put on an outward show of agreement, then send the issue into a departmental committee where it would die of old age.
This Bill by now probably holds some form of parliamentary record as the longest-standing Bill on the Dáil's order paper, but it will take a change of government to see it passed into law. - Yours, etc.,
PAT RABBITTE TD, Leader of the Labour Party, Dáil Éireann, Dublin 2.