The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025
On February 3, 2025, the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 was published in the Belfast Gazette. This Order amends the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order (Northern Ireland) 2014 (the 2014 Order).
The 2014 Order prescribed certain persons as prescribed persons for the purposes of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (the 1998 Act). The 1998 Act provides protection for workers who make qualifying disclosures of information relating to wrongdoing in the workplace.
The 2025 Order amends the 2014 Order by adding the following persons to the list of prescribed persons:
- Members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board
- Members of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
- Members of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People’s Office
This means that these persons are now entitled to the protection of the 1998 Act if they make qualifying disclosures of information relating to wrongdoing in the workplace.
The 2025 Order also makes a number of other minor amendments to the 2014 Order. These amendments include:
- Clarifying the definition of “worker” for the purposes of the 1998 Act
- Updating the list of prescribed persons
- Making it clear that the 1998 Act applies to disclosures made by workers who are employed in Northern Ireland, even if the wrongdoing occurred outside of Northern Ireland
The 2025 Order is a welcome amendment to the 2014 Order. It extends the protection of the 1998 Act to a wider range of workers in Northern Ireland. This will help to ensure that more workers are able to come forward and report wrongdoing in the workplace without fear of reprisal.
The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025
The AI has provided us with the news.
I’ve asked Google Gemini the following question, and here’s its response.
UK New Legislation a new article on 2025-02-03 03:05 titled “The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025”. Please write a detailed article on this news item, including any relevant information. Answers should be in English.
76