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What is a public interest disclosure?

Can a term in a contract override a worker's right to disclose?


To whom can a worker "blow the whistle"?

A disclosure is protected if made in good faith to the employer or to another person in the organisation whom the worker believes to be responsible for the wrongdoing, to a legal adviser, or to a prescribed person or body listed in the schedule to the Public Interest Disclosure Order 1999 (SI 1999/1549) (such as the Office of Fair Trading or the Health and Safety Executive).

A worker can make a disclosure (and still retain protection under the Act) to a non-prescribed person if certain conditions are met, namely: the disclosure is made in good faith; the worker reasonably believes the information is substantially true; the worker is not making the disclosure for personal gain; and, in all the circumstances, it is reasonable for the worker to make the disclosure. The worker must also: reasonably believe that he or she would be subject to a detriment by the employer if he or she made the disclosure directly to the employer or a prescribed person; reasonably believe that the employer would conceal or destroy evidence if the disclosure were put directly; or have previously made the same disclosure to the employer or a prescribed person to no avail.

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