Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I want to take this opportunity to put on the record of this House my utter revulsion at the experiences these women detailed, my admiration for their bravery and determination but also my anger that in 2021 these exceptional women were forced to tell their stories so very publicly on national radio for an appropriate mechanism to be discussed. Let us be very clear that what they spoke of was sexual abuse, discrimination and harassment. In the interests of fairness, it is important to read into the record today a line from a letter sent by the Chief of Staff to members of the Defence Forces:

I am acutely aware that these inappropriate behaviours are abhorrent to the vast majority of men and women of the Defence Forces.

I welcome what appears to be a complete 180° turn by the Minister since we last spoke on this issue on 13 May. At that time the Minister said there was a robust system in place, there were policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment and bullying in the Defence Forces and there was supportive workplace culture. This is a very important first step in what must be a series of further steps.

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