ABSTRACT
Tlhe words 'making a disclosure' and 'whistleblowing' are interchangeable, as are 'discloser' and 'whistleblower'. In 2007 the Home Office held consultations about the possibility of introducing rewards for whistleblowing in the UK, but to date no changes have been introduced. The ability to make a disclosure under Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) is therefore almost universal throughout the workforce of all UK-based organizations in both the private and public sectors. This is very sweeping and the only people who cannot make a disclosure under PIDA are self-employed individuals, serving police officers, members of the security services, the secret intelligence services and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). Both PIDA and Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) are silent about how disclosures should be received and dealt with, no matter which disclosure route is used. An anonymous disclosure cannot therefore be considered as a qualifying disclosure under PIDA.
