Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

To return to what the Minister said previously, I have no doubt that those who seek to abuse their positions of power, including in a sexually predatory way, are a small minority in the Defence Forces. I have witnessed in other similar institutions with a command structure how a small minority can have a large influence. Instead of tackling the problem, there is a tendency in institutions with command structures to circle the wagons, put a ring of steel around them and say that maybe the people did wrong but this is going to reflect badly on us all. They circle the wagons rather than tackle the problem.

Before the WRC case crossed the Minister's desk for a review, and the Minister signed off on the fact that there was no discrimination - and that was not the Minister personally, it was the Minister for Defence, advised by a Department with a plethora of officials down the line ------

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