153. (1) Subject to subsection (3), a person who, apart from this section, would be so liable shall not be liable in damages in respect of the communication to the MARA, whether in writing or otherwise, of his or her opinion that a relevant ground may apply to a holder, or that a contravention of a provision of this Act by a person other than a holder may have been or may be being committed, unless—

(a) in communicating his or her opinion to the MARA did so—

(i) knowing it to be false, misleading, frivolous or vexatious, or

(ii) reckless as to whether it was false, misleading, frivolous or vexatious,

or

(b) in connection with the communication of his or her opinion to the MARA, gave information that he or she knew to be false or misleading.

(2) The reference in subsection (1) to liability in damages shall be construed as including a reference to liability to any other form of relief.

(3) Subsection (1) shall not apply to a communication, or giving of information, that is a protected disclosure within the meaning of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014.

(4) Subsection (1) is in addition to, and not in substitution for, any privilege or defence available in legal proceedings, by virtue of any statutory provision or rule of law in force immediately before the coming into operation of this section, in respect of the communication by a person to another (whether that other person is the MARA or not) of an opinion of the kind referred to in subsection (1).

(5) Subject to subsection (6), an employer shall not penalise or threaten penalisation against an employee, or cause or permit any other person to penalise or threaten penalisation against an employee, for—

(a) having formed an opinion of the kind referred to in subsection (1) and communicated it, whether in writing or otherwise, to the MARA unless the employee—

(i) in communicating his or her opinion to the MARA did so—

(I) knowing it to be false, misleading, frivolous or vexatious, or

(II) reckless as to whether it was false, misleading, frivolous or vexatious,

or

(ii) in connection with the communication of his or her opinion to the MARA, gave information that he or she knew to be false or misleading in a material particular,

or

(b) giving notice of his or her intention to do the thing referred to in paragraph (a).

(6) Subsection (5) shall not apply to a communication, or giving of information, that is a protected disclosure within the meaning of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014.

(7) Schedule 9 shall have effect for the purposes of subsection (5).

(8) For the purposes of this section, a reference to “dismissal” includes—

(a) a dismissal within the meaning of the Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2015, and

(b) a dismissal wholly or partly for or connected with the purpose of the avoidance of a fixed-term contract being deemed to be a contract of indefinite duration under section 9(3) of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003.

(9) Paragraphs (a), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of the definition of “penalisation” in subsection (10) shall not be construed in a manner which prevents an employer from—

(a) ensuring that the business concerned is carried on in an efficient manner, or

(b) taking any action required for economic, technical or organisational reasons.

(10) In this section and Schedule 9 —

“contract of employment” means a contract of employment or of service or of apprenticeship, whether the contract is express or implied and, if express, whether it is oral or in writing;

“employee” means a person who has entered into or works under (or, where the employment has ceased, entered into or worked under) a contract of employment and references, in relation to an employer, to an employee shall be construed as references to an employee employed by that employer;

“employer”, in relation to an employee, means the person with whom the employee has entered into or for whom the employee works under (or, where the employment has ceased, entered into or worked under) a contract of employment, and includes—

(a) a person (other than an employee of that person) under whose control and direction an employee works, and

(b) where appropriate, the successor of the employer or an associated employer of the employer;

“penalisation” means any act or omission by an employer, or by a person acting on behalf of an employer, that affects an employee to his or her detriment with respect to any term or condition of his or her employment, and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, includes—

(a) suspension, lay-off or dismissal,

(b) the threat of suspension, lay-off or dismissal,

(c) demotion or loss of opportunity for promotion,

(d) transfer of duties, change of location of place of work, reduction in wages or change in working hours,

(e) the imposition or the administering of any discipline, reprimand or other penalty (including a financial penalty),

(f) unfair treatment, including selection for redundancy,

(g) coercion, intimidation or harassment,

(h) discrimination, disadvantage or adverse treatment,

(i) injury, damage or loss, and

(j) threats of reprisal.