Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have been involved in a number of debates on this issue and I know the strength of feeling on it in this House and in Seanad Éireann. The Quinlan family have been very strong advocates for full recognition of the contribution that Irish Defence Forces serving personnel made in what were extraordinarily testing and difficult circumstances during the Battle of Jadotville.

It is important that the awarding of medals is a military process and not a political one. What we are trying to do with this review by the independent group with military, historical and archive expertise is to make sure that not only was an appropriate decision made in terms of the awarding of medals, but also that the contribution that was made is considered accurately in view of the knowledge we now have of the historical context and so on. I hope this will be an opportunity to come to conclusions that those who served at Jadotville and their families can be very happy with, that will provide closure and a correction of the historical record, should that be the recommendation in terms of the assessment of those events. I have seen the film too. I have also read a lot about Jadotville and have spoken to many people about it. I am approaching this with the goal of transparency. I want to ensure that all issues around Jadotville are fully considered and recommendations are made accordingly. I hope that the date I have given of mid-June for the final report can be met. Some would have liked even more time but I am anxious to get it done so that we can bring the conclusions back to the Dáil and Seanad before we break up for the summer recess. I hope that those involved will be able to conclude their work but the most important issue is the quality of that work. We must not rush it. The volume of work undertaken by the review group has been quite extraordinary, which is why more time was needed.

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