DUBLIN City Council could be the first local authority in Ireland to introduce a whistle-blowers' charter offering protection to those wishing to reveal details of concerns within the organisation.

Plans are now underway to introduce a system modelled on the UK's Public Interest Disclosures Act 1998 which would facilitate those reluctant to engage management over concerns.

The move was introduced by Cllr Mannix Flynn, who said that a deeply ingrained suspicion of 'supergrasses' in Ireland had long prevented people from airing personal misgivings.

"The reason we need this is because these are not just [potential] complaints, they are situations of wrongdoing and this is a culture long since embedded," he said.

"We had this in the hepatitis C scandal where no one paid any attention, we had it in the church and no one bothered. And it was in the banks. Look at the gardaí in Donegal.

"The charter will protect people and offer them something completely unique, ensuring individuals [who avail of the charter] that they are not regarded as informers or supergrasses."

The proposal was brought before the council's protocol and selection committee where former chair Gerry Breen recommended the establishment of a sub-committee to discuss the possibility of introducing the charter before an expected vote of approval at a full meeting of the council.

Flynn said the British legislation on which the proposal was based was the "best in the field" of whistleblower frameworks, one that allowed for criticisms and complaints without fear of retribution.