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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 86 together.

I wish to reassure the House that this issue is a big priority for me. The meetings I had this week with the Women of Honour group and with serving women from the Defence Forces were deeply impactful, not only on me but on my Secretary General and indeed the incoming Chief of Staff. This is an issue we are going to get a handle on. We are going to put a process in place that will deliver real change. I say that very directly to the House. Anybody who chooses to enter the Defence Forces and wants to develop a career there must be guaranteed they will be treated with respect, they will be safe, they will not be discriminated against and they certainly will not be sexually abused or harassed. Unfortunately, there are far too many stories in this space that are not historic but current and they must result in a fundamental change for some people, who are a minority in the Defence Forces, with respect to their approach to diversity. We are going to bring about that change. We are going set in train a process to deliver that by means of an independent review and a recommendation I will bring to the Government.

I listened with concern to the women who recounted their experiences on the "Women of Honour" programme on RTÉ on 11 September. Earlier this week I met with participants from the Women of Honour group and with a group of serving female members of the Defence Forces. I had the opportunity to listen carefully to their experiences in what were very informative meetings. I wish to say I absolutely believe them. I respect the sincerity and courage it took to bring those stories forward. I express my deep appreciation to the women, both former and serving members, for highlighting this serious matter and for taking the time to meet me. Participants from the Women of Honour group met with the Secretary General and senior officials from my Department last Thursday and I understand this was also a productive meeting.

It is clear to me, the Chief of Staff and the Secretary General that there are very strong views that the culture that is pervading, and the application of the current policies, systems and procedures in place for dealing with bullying, harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault, have not and are not serving all Defence Forces personnel well and as they should be. I take this opportunity to apologise to anyone who has suffered during their time in the Defence Forces and to assure them the State will carry out an independent review, which will be undertaken by external and entirely independent and unbiased experts in this field. This review will examine the effectiveness of these policies, systems and procedures.

The terms of the review, which are in the process of being finalised, are being reviewed in light of recent meetings with the Women of Honour group and with serving female personnel.

Further engagement with the Women of Honour group on the terms of the review will happen. In addition, engagement with other stakeholders, including the representative associations, is also scheduled and will additionally inform the terms. The Commission on the Defence Forces which was established in December 2020 is due to report by the end of December 2021 and its views will also be an important aid to the independent review. It is my understanding that the work of the commission in this area is quite focused and will be helpful.

Finally, I wish to assure the Deputy that I, as Minister, the Chief of Staff and the Secretary General of my Department are fully committed to ensuring that all members of the Defence Forces, both male and female, have the right to be treated with respect, equality and dignity and to carry out their duties in a safe workplace, underpinned by a culture of zero tolerance for any kind of bullying, discrimination or harassment. It is our job to make sure that becomes a reality on the ground.

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