Speaking Up

By John Devitt

Five seconds after I finished the interview with Mary Wilson on RTE's Drivetime, the phone started ringing. In our first day (bearing in mind it's lunchtime as I'm writing this) we've taken around forty calls or emails from people looking to report or seeking advice through our new Speak Up helpline.

If the calls we've taken over the past year are anything to go by, most will be from people with genuine concerns about wrongdoing in their community or at work. Many will be the victims of corruption or fraud, and others will simply want to know how to deal with an ethical dilemma or conflict of interest.  If the number of calls we've taken today alone are a sign of things to come, we'll be kept very busy. It will also likely confirm our growing concern that wrongdoing is far more prevalent in Ireland than most (though not all!) previously thought.

I should also mention that last night's launch of Speak Up went really well and I'm very grateful to our able volunteers (Jane, Nicole, Clarissa, Eanna, Helen, Liane, and Patrick) as well as Justin, Sarah Jane and the tireless Dave Dunn for their trojan work. Thanks are also due to Minister Brendan Howlin, Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly and Bob Semple of PwC. The video of the event will be up on our website soon but in the meantime, you can read or watch some of the news coverage from the event or have a look at of what I said below...

The role of legislation and strong institutions has been stressed by the Minister Howlin and the Ombudsman but I'd like to expand on what Bob Semple said about individual responsibility tonight. It's something that is often overlooked when we're looking for solutions to wrongdoing of any form. And we often lose sight of the pivotal role people play in stopping corruption.

People play the most important part in serving the public interest. Values are man (or woman) made, important information is processed and passed on by people, people run governments and people operate banks. Peoples’ lives are shaped by those who are responsible for defining values and delivering the services that make society function. Likewise, only people can hold their leaders to account. The problem is that sometimes people are ill equipped to make the right decisions. They have little support when facing an ethical dilemma and often little information on the consequences of speaking up. It's for this reason that we are launching the Speak Up helpline today.

Another reason for establishing this service is the complexity and diversity of the cases people have come to us with. Everyone from property developers, to nurses, from bank employees to factory workers have contacted us over the past few years. No two people have asked for the same help or come to us for the same reasons. Some are looking for legal advice, others simply want to know whether they are doing the right thing. Many want to make a complaint that can’t or won’t be handled by the authorities.  Freedom of information issues are sometimes intertwined with a desire to report wrongdoing, employees in the private sector sometimes face dilemmas that affect the public interest. It’s not always clear whether corruption or incompetence is involved. What we do know is that people need help and that the State, a lawyer, a TD or journalist will not always be able to offer it. Certainly the current law provides little protection for those speaking up.

I’ve been receiving calls from the public or whistleblowers for a long time asking for support and have planned this service for close to four years but we were never able to secure the financial support to launch it. Given everything that we have learned about fraud, waste and corruption in both public bodies and our banks, it is a shame we weren't in a position to get it off the ground sooner. Maybe people just didn't see the need.

Pilot funding for the ‘Speak Up’ helpline and service is now being provided as part of an independent feasibility study by British and German universities of the service and funded by the European Commission. Core funding comes from the Joseph Rowntree Trust and we will rely heavily on the support of professional and student volunteers as well as public donations to maintain our independence.

As I mentioned, the Speak Up helpline is the first public ethics anti-corruption service in Western Europe, although Transparency International chapters already operate such helplines in 46 countries worldwide. Like other chapters of Transparency, TI Ireland has been leading research and campaigning for openness and integrity in government since 2005. With a new resource centre in Dublin we’re now in a position to offer free, confidential information to people facing ethical dilemmas, those reporting concerns about wrongdoing in the workplace, waste and fraud in public bodies, or people or organisations that have been the victim of corruption or white collar crime.

Where necessary, TI Ireland will also provide a free referral service to a network of lawyers and other professionals who may be in a position to help callers to the service, while TI Ireland will report concerns to employers or the relevant authorities on behalf of workers or citizens where both parties agree. The statistics gathered by TI Ireland from the service will be published in periodic reports and will help identify systemic problems and allow us advocate for political or legal reform.

Individuals will be able to call Freephone 1800 844 866 to speak with a volunteer from TI Ireland, or log onto www.speakup.ie to send an anonymous or confidential message online. The ‘Hushmail’ email system used by TI Ireland is electronically encrypted and will allow for people to contact the helpline with reduced risk of the email accounts being hacked. The free phone service will be open from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Volunteers will service the helpline and take some initial details to help us determine what support or information can be offered. Each case we handle will be reviewed by our legal advisors before we offer any additional support to a client. Sometimes we will refer people to other organisations that may be in a better position to offer support. We also plan to publish guides for people and organisations intent on dealing with ethical dilemmas, reporting concerns or preventing corruption and conflicts of interest.

In conclusion, you could say that we are taking a holistic approach to empowering people to make an informed decision, to make themselves heard and do the right thing. Speak Up is inspired by the work of our colleagues in other chapters around the world, who help thousands of people every year. TI chapters have also made a huge difference to the way in which the state is held accountable by its citizens. I’m sure that ‘Speak Up’ and TI Ireland can have the same impact here.