This week Maria Miller MP asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Paul Scully to set out the Governments’ plans for tackling the misuse of NDAs.
The Minister, committed that the government would ensure that citizens signing NDAs would remain able to make protected disclosures to the Police, regulators and all prescribed persons including health and legal professionals. Mr Scully also commended Mrs Miller’s campaign and the work of campaigners including Can’t Buy My Silence led by Zelda Perkins to tackle this issue.
On legislative change Mr Scully stressed the need for parliamentary time however reassured the commons that the government will crack down on the usage of NDAs.
WhistleblowersUK continues to collaborate with this campaign, our CEO Georgina Halford-Hall said, “the commitment by the Government is a step in the right direction to ensure that no one is silenced and that the Public Interest is protected. We join Maria Miller in continuing to press for a full ban on the use of all NDAs”.
Mary Robinson MP, Chair of the APPG for Whistleblowing said, “I am encouraged by the Minister's comments and will be seeking a further meeting with him to discuss the details of proposals to end the abuse of NDAs by unscrupulous employers and improve the treatment of whistleblowers and the information that they bring forward”.