John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the progress that has been made by the independent review group. There was some concern when a time extension was requested but I understand the rationale behind that. A lot of work needs to be done and I welcome the fact that the review will be thorough. We need to bring an end to the injustice that has been done to the gallant members of the Defence Forces who participated in the Battle at Jadotville almost 60 years ago, with the anniversary coming up in September. That injustice must be brought to an end. We must undo the unjustified shame suffered by those soldiers, especially given the fact that 33 of those who participated in the battle were recommended for distinguished service medals and five were recommended for military medals for gallantry by Colonel Pat Quinlan.

I welcome the fact that an end date of mid June has been set for the review. I ask the Minister to provide assurances that this deadline will be met because, as I said, the 60th anniversary falls in September. There is only a handful of survivors left at this point. I hope that the review leads to the right outcome for them and that the occasion of the 60th anniversary is used for the awarding of the long-awaited medals

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