My hon. Friend is absolutely correct. There must be mechanisms by which people can bring problems of that nature to the attention of the appropriate authorities.
By going ahead with this legislation and creating new hurdles, the Government will make it more difficult to rely on whistleblowing legislation. There is a strong argument that the motives of the claimant are irrelevant if bringing forward such information is in the public interest. As they stand, the Government’s proposals will significantly water down whistleblowing legislation in this country, but that balance would be significantly restored if new clause 1 were accepted.
New clause 2 deals with vicarious liability and addresses a loophole that has arisen as a result of the case of NHS Manchester v. Fecitt and others, about which the Minister will be aware. Three nurses from Manchester raised a concern about a colleague lying about his qualifications, but they were unable to rely on the protection of the law. Will the Minister seriously consider accepting new clause 2, as that would allow that loophole to be closed?