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Guidance

Whistleblowing: list of prescribed people and bodies

List of prescribed people and bodies you can report malpractice to, other than your employer.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and Department for Business and Trade
Published:
1 October 2014
Last updated:
15 September 2026
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  1. Competition and Markets Authority description and phone number has been updated.

  2. The list of prescribed persons and bodies (“Prescribed Persons”) that you can report malpractice to, other than your employer, has been updated. This includes the addition of some new prescribed persons and changes to the remits of some existing ones under The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order 2026, which takes effect on 2 June 2026.

  3. Update information or contact details for: - The Office of Communications (known as Ofcom) - Financial Reporting Council Limited and its Conduct Committee - Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland - The Information Commissioner - The Scottish Information Commissioner - Qualifications Wales - The Scottish Environment Protection Agency - The Health and Safety Executive - Office for Nuclear Regulation - General Optical Council - Older People’s Commissioner for Wales - Scottish Housing Regulator - The Auditor General for Wales - Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) - Scottish Social Services Council - Commissioners for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - The Welsh Revenue Authority - The Certification Officer Removed all reference to Registers of Scotland.

  4. The entry for the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the whistleblowing prescribed persons list has been updated. Contact details for the Insolvency Service Intelligence Team have been added for matters relating to fraud and other misconduct in relation to companies.

  5. HM Treasury has been added to the list of prescribed bodies, including information on how to report suspected breaches of UK financial sanctions and the Maritime Services Ban. The entries for the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Secretary of State for Transport have also been updated, including a new link to guidance on transport sanctions. These changes help users understand who they can report concerns relating to potential breaches of financial, transport, and certain trade sanctions to.

  6. General Pharmaceutical Council contact details updated.

  7. The contact details have been updated for the 'Natural Resources Wales' team. Their website has also been updated to the 'Natural Resources Wales / Raising a serious concern in the public interest' site.

  8. Updates to contact information for: Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland, HMRC, Single Source Regulations Office, Food Standards Agency, Older People’s Commissioner, General Chiropractic Council, Scottish Housing Regulator, Welsh Ministers Housing Regulation Team, Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, The Welsh Revenue Authority. Update to phoneline hours for NSPCC. Update to remit of NHS England.

  9. Civil Aviation Authority phone number updated.

  10. Email address for Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator updated to info@oscr.org.uk.

  11. A new bullet point was added to NHS England, and contact details for Health Education England were removed.

  12. The titles of the Secretary of States have been updated following the machinery of government changes. An incorrect duplication 'Health and Safety' entry under 'cyber' has been removed. The list of reasons to contact the 'Health and Safety executive' has been updated.

  13. Entry added under food standards for the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU).

  14. New section on Cyber added.

  15. Updated list of prescribed people and bodies.

  16. Change of email address for The Pensions Regulator.

  17. General contact details updated for a number of organisations.

  18. Updated the address for the Children’s Commissioner for Wales.

  19. Updated name, purpose and website for NHS Counter Fraud Authority (previously NHS Protect).

  20. Added the Equality and Human Rights Commission, The European Securities and Markets Authority and the Regulator of Social Housing, removed the Homes and Communities Agency and updated the details of the Care Inspectorate, the Financial Conduct Authority, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and The Lord Advocate, Scotland.

  21. Contact details updated for: Bank of England, National Guardian's Office, Children's Commissioner, Food Standards Agency, Health & Care Professions Council, IOPC, Prudential Regulation Authority, Qualifications Wales, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Social Services Council. Welsh Revenue Authority added.

  22. Contact details for following bodies have changed: Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, General Chiropractic Council, Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) (previously IPCC)

  23. Change of address for Payment Systems Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority.

  24. Change of address for Ofgem.

  25. We have updated the list to change the matters you can report to the following bodies: the Bank of England, Financial Reporting Council, General Pharmaceutical Council, the Secretary of State for Transport, and the Auditor General for Scotland.

  26. Social Care Wales added to list.

  27. The following bodies were added to the list: Wales Audit Office (Business, finance or fraud); Qualifications Wales (Education); Food Standards Scotland (Food standards); Office of Rail and Road (Health and safety); National Guardian's Office (Healthcare); Local government commissioners (Local authorities); and Older People's Commissioner Wales (Social care).

  28. Updated list of prescribed people and bodies.

  29. Updated to amend some administrative changes and summarise the existing Order.

  30. Ofqual's email address in publication BIS/15/43 updated.

  31. Reason for 27 Jan update: Revenue Scotland and Registers of Scotland added following their inclusion on 2014 Order, 1 Jan 2015

  32. New version of attachment published.

  33. First published.

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Whistleblowing: list of prescribed people and bodies

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If you decide to blow the whistle to a prescribed person rather than your employer, you must make sure that you’ve chosen the correct person or body for your issue.

This document is a list of the prescribed persons and bodies who you can make a disclosure to. There is also a brief description about the matters you can report to each prescribed person.

More information on whistleblowing.

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