Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to facilitate whistleblowing in his Department and its arm-length bodies.

Over the last year a great deal of work has been undertaken in Cabinet Office to ensure all
staff are confident in raising whistleblowing concerns and assured that action will be taken
as a result. This includes:

• A new whistleblowing and raising concerns policy was introduced in July 2016, bringing the department in line with cross government best practice. This policy gives a clear outline of how to raise a whistleblowing concern in the department.
• 6 Nominated Officers have been trained over the last year and are currently in post to support staff and managers with raising whistleblowing concerns as an independent person. 3 additional Nominated Officers are to be trained in the next two months to ensure coverage in larger units as well as those units that may need to approach someone with higher security clearance.
• A DG whistleblowing champion was put in place in October 2016.
• Cabinet Office’s bespoke line manager training course includes a section that covers whistleblowing and how to deal with a whistleblowing concern as a line manager.
• Cabinet Office took part in the cross government whistleblowing awareness week in October 2016 and whistleblowing awareness day in September 2017.
• A new ‘Speak Up’ campaign was launched in April 2017 aimed at encouraging staff to raise all types of concerns. This campaign was refreshed in September 2017.
• The Civil Service Commission attended a recent all staff diversity event to raise awareness of their part in hearing whistleblowing concerns under the Civil Service code.
• Data is regularly collected and reviewed on numbers and types of concerns raised to inform continuous action and communications.
• Further communications are planned throughout the year to ensure on-going awareness of the ways individuals can raise whistleblowing concerns.