Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government will take steps to ensure that the damages applicable to employees and former employees under the laws resulting from the transposition of the Trade Secrets Directive into UK law are set as low as possible, so as to ensure that the threat of high fines does not act as a disincentive to legitimate whistleblowing.

The Government is of the view that the law already protects whistle-blowers from employers seeking injunctions or damages against them for the disclosure of a trade secret. The transposition of the Trade Secrets Directive will not change the position. In view of this, there is no need for action to be taken with regard to the level of damages for legitimate whistleblowing.