Protected Disclosures
The law protects people who raise concerns about possible wrongdoing in the workplace. Find out how you can make disclosures, also known as whistleblowing, to the CRU.
As set out in the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, protected disclosures can be made to certain external regulators or 'prescribed persons'. Such disclosures are often called whistleblowing.
What protected disclosures we cover
Under the Act, protected disclosures can be made to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) regarding compliance and regulation in the following areas:
- The natural gas market
- The electricity market
- Matters relating to the regulation of the State’s public water system.
Who can make a protected disclosure
The Act covers a “worker” as defined in section 3. This means a person working in the private or public sector who acquired information on relevant wrongdoings in a work-related context and it includes a current or former employee, contractor, consultant, agency worker, volunteer, trainee, intern, or shareholder. It also includes a person who acquires information during a recruitment process or pre-contractual negotiations, and a current or former member of the administrative, management or supervisory body of an undertaking, including a non-executive member. The worker making the disclosure must reasonably believe that the relevant wrongdoing falls within the scope of matters for which the CRU’s Chairperson has been prescribed and that all the information contained in the disclosure is substantially true.
The matters that fall within the CRU’s remit in this regard are set out in S.I. No. 367 of 2020.
How we handle protected disclosures
All protected disclosures are taken seriously. While disclosures are dealt with on a confidential basis, there are some exceptions.
For example, identifying the person making the disclosure may be necessary for a proper investigation to take place.
Section 14 of the Act protects a reporting person by providing immunity from civil liability for making a protected disclosure. It does not, however, provide immunity from defamation actions. Section 15 provides a defence to a reporting person where that person is being prosecuted for an offence that prohibits or restricts the disclosure of information. The reporting person may rely on section 15 as a defence if they can show that the disclosure was a protected disclosure or that they reasonably believed that it was a protected disclosure.
How to make a protected disclosure
The CRU's Protected Disclosures Policy provides information on how to make a protected disclosure.
CRU Protected Disclosures Policy
Protected disclosures can be made using the form provided. We will acknowledge disclosures within 14 days of receipt.
If you wish to make a Protected Disclosure to the CRU you should email this completed form to
protecteddisclosures@cru.ie or phone 1800 404 404.
Please note that you will be asked to provide copies of all relevant documents that evidence the wrongdoing, and which may be necessary for any investigation of the matters raised in the disclosure undertaken by the Commissioner.
Support Services
- Independent and confidential advice is available through the 'Speak Up' helpline for anyone considering making a protected disclosure. The helpline can be accessed at 1800 844 866, Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, by email: helpline@transparency.ie or on their website speakup.ie.
- The Transparency Legal Advice Centre (TLAC) provides free legal advice to anyone who wants to disclose wrongdoing under the Act (as amended). This can be accessed through the Speak Up helpline.
- Information on rights and entitlements under employment legislation can be obtained from the Workplace Relations Commission.
Reports on protected disclosures
The Protected Disclosures Act requires the publication of a report by public bodies no later than 30 June each year relating to:
- the number of protected disclosures made in the preceding year
- any actions, if any, taken in response to such disclosures
We can confirm that no protected disclosures were made to the CRU between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2023.