Dr Lauren Kierans appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach on 27 May 2021 with Transparency International Ireland to provide expert advice on whistleblowing/protected disclosures legislation.
Dr Kierans shared her findings from her research on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which is due to be amended on foot of the transposition of the EU Whistleblowers Directive by 17 December 2021. Dr Kierans made recommendations based on her research for the optimal transposition of the Directive, highlighting various trends and weaknesses in the 2014 Act, and impressed on the members that Ireland has the opportunity to go beyond the minimum standards in the Directive in order to ensure robust legislative whistleblower protection. A recording of the meeting is available here.
Dr Kierans also presented on the General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021 at a webinar hosted by Transparency International Ireland on the morning of 27 May 2021. The recording of the webinar can be accessed here.
Dr Lauren Kierans is a lecturer at Maynooth Uniersity Department of Law. She delivers the Professional Certificate in Whistleblowing Law, Practice and Policy.