Source · National Audit Office

Investigation into whistleblowing in the civil service

Published: 19 Dec 2023 Recommendations: 4 Type: Value for Money NAO confirmed: 4 Department: Cross-government

Whistleblowing arrangements in government require further improvement with slow and inconsistent progress being made by departments and other civil service bodies, a new National Audit Office (NAO) report says.

Dept: Cross-government Topics: Accountability and oversightPeople and operationsProject and service deliveryWorkforce nao.org.uk →

Recommendations

4 items

4 accepted 4 implemented

Rec	Recommendation	Addressee	Acceptance	Implementation
1	a In order to build a fuller understanding of whistleblowing outcomes and what happens to whistleblowers, Cabinet Office should work with departments to improve the completeness of data, broaden the categories of data it collects and deepen the analysis it undertakes. Additional categories of data could include information on cases that were previously ongoing, time taken for investigations, whether whistleblowers have made claims of victimisation and how these claims were responded to; Ref Page 11, 21 · Implemented Q2 2025-26	Cabinet Office	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
2	b Cabinet Office should work with departments to encourage them to use every concern raised as an opportunity to learn from whistleblowers, including those concerns where no wrongdoing is found; Ref Page 11, 21 · Implemented Q2 2025-26	Cabinet Office	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
3	c When data is available Cabinet Office should use it to establish the extent of whistleblower complaints of intimidation or victimisation, build an understanding of the number of and patterns in complaints, and consider any need to coordinate departmental action Ref Page 11, 21 · Implemented Q2 2025-26	Cabinet Office	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
4	d Cabinet Office should build on its efforts to help departments learn from different approaches to whistleblowing, focusing on areas such as supporting effective assurance by senior leaders and Audit and Risk Assurance Committees, understanding whistleblowers? experience and supporting the people that work with whistleblowers. Ref Page 11, 21 · Implemented Q2 2025-26	Cabinet Office	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO

Public Accounts Committee follow-up

2 reports

The Public Accounts Committee examined this NAO report and published its own recommendations. The government responds to PAC recommendations via Treasury Minutes.

25 May 2024 Public Accounts C… Thirty-Sixth Report - Investigation into whistleblowing in the civil service — 12 recommendations · parliament.uk

1 Aug 2014 Public Accounts C… 9th Report - Whistleblowing · parliament.uk