Temat: Public-sector whistleblowers 'are still seen as snitches'

Public-sector whistleblowers 'are still seen as snitches', admits Civil Service boss Sir Jeremy Heywood

Staff who expose malpractice are treated appallingly, admits the Cabinet Secretary
Public sector whistleblowers are still seen as “disloyal snitches” who get “the treatment they deserve” if they are hounded out of their jobs, Britain’s most senior civil servant has warned.

Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, said the “appalling treatment” suffered by some Government workers who exposed malpractice had compounded the scandals they uncovered.

And he warned that in future senior civil servants would be personally “held to account” for how whistleblowing cases were dealt with in their departments.

Sir Jeremy said that in future “no one should be exposed to personal and professional risk for doing what is in the public interest”. “From January, there will be a requirement for departments to provide protection and support to whistleblowers, such as access to legal and counselling services, and to monitor their welfare,” he wrote.

“As head of the Civil Service I take the question of whistleblowing extremely seriously, and will play a leading role in ensuring that departments follow the new guidance to the letter.”

Sir Jeremy’s admission and pledge to tackle the problems were welcomed by the charity Public Concern at Work, which campaigns on behalf of whistleblowers.

Full text see: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/publicse...