To ask the Minister of Education to detail any safeguards in place to ensure the independence of investigations following whistleblowing in the education sector.

The Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 provides statutory protection for workers who make protected disclosures, including protections relating to detriment and unfair dismissal. The Order is focused on employment protections for whistleblowers and does not require that investigations are independent in the sense of being conducted externally or by a party wholly separate from the organisation complained about. Departmental ALBs are required to comply with the Public Interest Disclosure Act and are responsible for ensuring compliance with the legislation. The Department’s ALBs have corresponding procedures in place within their respective organisations.

The Department has in place a Designated Officer who oversees the handling of concerns, maintains a record, and reports regularly to the Departmental Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC), providing governance oversight and scrutiny.