Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to strengthen protections for individuals who cooperate with investigations into corporate misconduct.

Individuals who cooperate with investigations are protected from retaliation by their employer where their reporting qualifies as a “protected disclosure” (or whistleblowing) under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA).

The government intends to consult on the whistleblowing framework in the ERA.

Separately, employees are protected from unfair dismissal under the ERA. A dismissal may be unfair if the employer lacks a fair reason, follows an unfair procedure, or both. An employee who is dismissed for cooperating with an investigation into wrongdoing may be able to bring an Employment Tribunal claim for unfair dismissal, depending on the circumstances.