New Report - International Whistleblower Reward Programmes: Is there a place for them in the UK?

In recent months, WhistleblowersUK has been working with international partners and colleagues to review whistleblower reward programmes and identify the truth. Are they as some say a charter for malicious complaints or are they a genuine incentive providing a safety net against retaliation? How successful are these programmes in recovering fraud and other proceeds of crime and serious organised crime.

Our new and latest report “International Whistleblower Reward Programmes: Is there a place for them in the UK?” even more relevant now in the wake of the review of the UK's whistleblowing framework which will undoubtedly be confronted with the question of compensation and whether the value laden expectations placed on whistleblowers are fair and just.

Whistleblowers for years have (in many cases) been subjected to scrupulous forensic examination of their motive and the virtue of their action - have they protected the public? However, the question of what is fair and proportionate restitution (recognising the value of whistleblowing) remains up in the air. The scope of the review is narrow and the Minister Kevin Hollinrake MP, a champion of meaningful compensation, will be judged on whether he stands by his long standing commitment now that he is in a place to affect the changes that he has long called upon from the back benches.

This paper is a collaboration with leading US lawyers who have contributed to the development and improvement of US reward programmes. Working with WhistleblowersUK to address questions about their legislation and dispel some of the myths. We also address some of the objections attributed to British attitudes about rewarding whistleblowers and discover that things are far from as they are presented.

This is a difficult subject to get right, and the various institutions practising reward schemes in the United States have not perfected their respective schemes, a discussion which this paper attempts to explore

We look forward to your feedback.