Ms Patricia King:

Because our group was developed as a result of the IRG report, there is one sentence in it that really resonates with me as to why we exist. It is on page 41, "Bullying, harassment, discrimination and sexual assault are experienced by a higher proportion of people in the Defence Forces than is the case in other workplaces." Effectively, this is a workforce, as the committee knows, of about 7,100. In any workforce of that size, you are going to have complaints. That is the reality. What the report drew attention to was that it is a higher proportion. If you take the complaints system, one of the tasks we have is to make sure people have confidence in the complaints system that exists and that people can work in the knowledge it is going to work for them, both perpetrators and claimants. You want a system that people have confidence in. That is one of the tasks we are looking at, and when we are engaging with and talking to people, regardless of rank, we are asking those sort of questions. What would they do with it? They are telling us.

We have met a number of the women's network. We have had engagement not just in Cork but also we have had other engagements with people. That is the value of working with the representative groups. They have a lot of background and, I am sure, a lot of opinion on how you get the complaints system to operate to optimal levels and have optimal confidence. That is the task we are involved in, and I think it is a positive thing. I would find it difficult to understand if people had a difficulty with us doing that. That surely has to be a good piece. Once we collaborate and consult in that regard, I think it will surely turn out to be a positive piece at the end.