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Confidentiality and “whistle-blowing” (public interest disclosure)

Subject to your rights of freedom of speech under the Education (No. 2) Act 1986, Section 43 and any other subsequent legislation, you must not directly or indirectly, except in the proper course of your duties, either during or after the period of this appointment, disclose to any third party or use for your own purposes or benefit or the purposes of any third party, any confidential information about the business of the University, its dealings, transactions and affairs or those of any member of the University unless that information is public knowledge or you are required by law to disclose it.

The term “whistle-blowing”, although not a legal one, has been used to describe incidents where an employee publicly discloses some alleged wrongdoing within an organisation. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 aims to promote greater openness in the workplace and, by amending the Employment Protection Act 1996, protects “whistle-blowers” from detrimental treatment, i.e. victimisation or dismissal, for raising concerns about matters in the public interest.

Full details of the University's policy on public interest disclosure and whistle-blowing are given within the Human Resources Division's policy pages, at the web address below.