Julie Edge urges public to lobby MHKs to back whistleblowing committee

The Onchan MHK describes the proposed Select Committee as ‘critical scrutiny’ of how whistleblowing policies and non-disclosure agreements are being implemented across the public sector

Onchan MHK Julie Edge is urging members of the public to contact their MHKs and encourage them to support the creation of a new Select Committee to examine whistleblowing on the Isle of Man.

Ms Edge has tabled a motion for this month’s Tynwald sitting calling for an inquiry into the implementation of whistleblowing policies, their impact on public sector employers and employees, and the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases involving whistleblowers.

In a social media post, she describes the proposed committee as "critical scrutiny" of how government policies are being applied, adding that “if the Committee is created and finds policy or process failures in governance, the sooner they are addressed surely the better for the residents of the Isle of Man."

Ms Edge said a previous Tynwald Select Committee in 2021 made “clear recommendations” – including the introduction of independent reporting routes, annual transparency reporting, and a review of non-disclosure agreements – but that
"some of those promises remain undelivered.”

She argues better protection is needed for people who raise concerns, citing "high-profile tribunal cases and public reports", quoting the tribunal judgment in Ranson v Department of Health and Social Care, which ruled: "Dr Ranson endured a period of torrid humiliation with stoic dignity until her health suffered."

Alongside her motion to establish the Select Committee, Ms Edge has also tabled a general debate on whistleblowing for the same sitting, saying she hopes Tynwald members will "make the Isle of Man a place where speaking up is protected, not punished."