A Cabinet Minister says the government needs to encourage more garda whistleblowers to come forward.

The comments from Simon Coveney come after Garda Sergeants raised concerns about the decision to give the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) the responsibility for handling confidential information from whistleblowers.

The AGSI says it is concerned that whistleblowers who go to the Ombudsman would not have their issues raised in public.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney says that is not the case, and he wants the concerns to be raised and fully investigated.

While Fine Gael TD for Cork-East David Stanton told The Pat Kenny Show here on Newstalk that the issue of garda complaints still needs to be finalised.