Reference Case Number: FOI8837
Freedom of Information: Right to know request:
My request relates to complaints received by the FCA regarding settlements with whistleblowers.
My request relates to the period between January 1st 2015 and today's date. Specifically, I want to know the following information:
- During the cited period, did the FCA receive any complaints from whistleblowers regarding settlement agreements between employers and the whistleblowers themselves?
- If the answer to Q.1 is "yes," please provide me with the total number of said complaints.
- If the answer to Q.1 is "yes," how many of these complaints were made in relation to settlement negotiations that the FCA was directly involved in?
- If the answer to Q.3 is at least one, please provide me with the total number of said complaints, as well as copies or documentation of each complaint, including timestamps.
- Of the total number of complaints filed within the cited period, how many have been upheld?
- During the cited period, has the FCA received a complaint—as defined in Q.3—that the FCA chose not to consider an eligible complaint?
FCA response:
Information relating to complaints received by the FCA regarding settlements with whistleblowers for the period between 1 January 2015 and 29 November 2021.
Please note that where the request refers to “complaints”, we have taken this to mean reports from whistleblowers. To identify relevant reports, we have conducted a keyword search of our databases. In the identified cases, whistleblowers will have shared with us, as part of their report, concerns around the provisions of a settlement agreement from the relevant employer. Settlement agreements between firms and their employees are not subject to FCA regulations. However, if we are provided with information about a settlement agreement within a whistleblower’s report, we will review this to consider if the terms of the agreement comply with our rules and guidance set out in SYSC18[1].