Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising question. I had a good meeting yesterday with the Women of Honour group. I am also open to meeting with other stakeholders and other groups with whom the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, would have met in relation to this. They have been through a lot of trauma. There is no question about that. They are clear that they want cultural change within our Defence Forces in relation to assault as well as in the hierarchical nature of our Defence Forces in terms of how complaints are dealt with, particularly those that involve violence against women, sexual assault and the subsequent isolation of women who raise issues and who are then not considered for promotional opportunities and so on. Essentially, because they raise issues, they effectively get punished. That was the basic tenet of the presentation.

The review currently being decided on by Government is independent with a judge independent of the political system.

See this speech in context