237. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has received representations since January 2025 regarding the meaning of "prima facie evidence" at initial assessment under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014; whether the Department intends to issue clarifying guidance to public bodies and prescribed persons ahead of the …
Topics / Protected Disclosures
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsProtected Disclosures
138 questions from 19 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
138
questions
135 written, 3 oral
19
TDs have asked
9
parties and groups
Independents counted together
18
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 1 |
| February 2025 | 0 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 18 |
| May 2025 | 1 |
| June 2025 | 4 |
| July 2025 | 3 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 4 |
| October 2025 | 0 |
| November 2025 | 3 |
| December 2025 | 1 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 8 |
| March 2026 | 19 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 21 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 3 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 10 |
| October 2026 | 40 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
-
38
-
25
-
20
-
16
-
10
-
5
-
5
-
3
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
238. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the Department collects data on the duration of initial assessments of protected disclosures by public bodies; the number of reports recorded as remaining at initial assessment at the end of each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, as reported under section 22 of the Protected Disclosures …
574. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of protected disclosures within An Garda Síochána that remained at initial assessment stage at the end of each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; and the longest period any such disclosure has remained at that stage. [72322/26]
1. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of protected disclosures made by members and staff of An Garda Síochána, either directly to his Department or through internal Garda channels, and to Fiosrú, in each of the past five years; and the number upheld, dismissed or under examination. [70836/26]
149. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the criteria applied by the Protected Disclosures Commissioner in determining that an “other suitable person” has the competence to provide feedback and follow-up for the purposes of section 10C of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended; and whether such competence is considered in resp…
150. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the guidance that applies where information available to the Protected Disclosures Commissioner raises a potential issue concerning the suitability, independence or impartiality of a proposed “other suitable person”; and whether consideration of such matters and the reasons for selecting that r…
151. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the guidance that applies to the maintenance of records recording the conclusion of procedures concerning protected disclosures; the date and basis upon which the relevant procedures were concluded and notification of the reporting person; and whether such records should be capable of establish…
152. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the procedures that apply where a protected disclosure contains several distinct alleged relevant wrongdoings which potentially fall within the functions or competence of different prescribed persons or other suitable persons; and whether individual matters contained in such a report may be tra…
153. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the guidance that applies to an “other suitable person” in carrying out an initial assessment pursuant to section 10E of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended; whether such an assessment should be recorded contemporaneously in writing; and whether the record should identify the informa…
154. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the evidence or records that should be established by a recipient before determining, for the purposes of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended, that the relevant procedures concerning an earlier report have been concluded. [69787/26]
155. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation where a report containing multiple alleged relevant wrongdoings is being considered for closure on the basis that it concerns matters previously reported, if the recipient is expected to conduct and retain an issue-by-issue or allegation-by-allegation comparison between the earlier and subseque…
156. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the guidance or criteria that apply when determining, for the purposes of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended, whether a subsequent report contains meaningful new information compared with a previous report; and whether such a determination is required to be documented. [69784/26]
157. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the procedures that apply where the Protected Disclosures Commissioner does not accept the opinion of an “other suitable person” that a matter does not fall within that person's remit; the procedures thereafter that apply to the report; and the safeguards that apply to ensure appropriate and in…
158. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of times since the commencement of the relevant provisions of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 that an “other suitable person” identified by the Protected Disclosures Commissioner has notified the Commissioner that the matter concerned does not fall within their remit; …
455. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of and summary of disclosures made to him under Section 41 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to date in 2026. [70425/26]
334. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will review the adequacy of the safeguards under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 against penalisation, and against the disclosure of a discloser's identity without consent, in view of concerns raised publicly in recent weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68089/26]
546. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any arrangements exist between the Department and the Protected Disclosures Commissioner whereby information concerning systemic governance failures identified through protected disclosures may be notified to the Department while preserving the confidentiality requirements of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. [68153/26]
547. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procedures in place prior to 1 January 2023 for the assessment and follow-up of protected disclosures made directly to the Minister under section 8 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014; the procedures currently in place following commencement of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022; and the extent to which information ar…
548. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of submissions received by the Garda Protected Disclosures Unit since it was established; the total number of submissions that were assessed as protected disclosures; the total number of protected disclosures that were upheld; and the total number of upheld protected disclosures that lead to recommendations being…
576. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the way in which the protected disclosures process has been carried out in An Garda Síochána over the past ten years. [68416/26]
331. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 3747 of 7 September 2026, the number of protected disclosure allegations upheld or partially upheld during 2025 in respect of which the assigned corrective actions have been completed; the number in respect of which corrective actions remain outstanding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66095/26]
332. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 3744 of 7 September 2026, in respect of the 30 valid protected disclosures received in 2025 that remained open as at 30 June 2026, the date of receipt of the oldest such case still open; the number of these cases that have been open for more than 26 weeks; the number that have been open for more than 52 weeks; and if she will …
333. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 3723 of 7 September 2026, in which the HSE confirmed it does not centrally track the implementation of recommendations arising from protected disclosures, the number of recommendations arising from upheld or partially upheld protected disclosures between 2023 and the first quarter of 2025 that have been verified as implemented…
334. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 3743 of 7 September 2026, whether the HSE senior leadership team received a specific escalation regarding the increase in alleged health and safety endangerment, as recommended by the Audit and Risk Committee, as distinct from routine quarterly dashboard reporting; the date on which any such escalation occurred; the decision o…
448. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the Government has assessed the effectiveness of the current protected disclosures framework where a safeguarding or operational concern involves more than one public body, including Tusla, the HSE, and An Garda Síochána; and the mechanism that exists to ensure that a cross-agency disclosu…