Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also thank Deputy Clarke and Sinn Féin for tabling this motion. For far too long, the members of the Defence Forces have not received recognition for the work they do. We have only to look back on all the men and women from our Army who went to undertake peacekeeping duties in Lebanon and other places and where they put their lives in danger. For far too long, we heard that they were not being paid properly, had to sleep in cars and were getting income supplement payments. That kind of a situation which saw people working on behalf of the State not being paid properly and having to get an income supplement was disgraceful.

In this case, the Women of Honour group issued a statement on Sunday, 6 February in which they said that the current review proposed by the Minister, Deputy Coveney "will be ineffective and powerless to get to the real heart of the issues". The group was commenting following reports of military police investigating an army officer. That is like putting the fox in charge of the chickens. I ask the Minister of State to have an independent public statutory inquiry and for the civil and criminal laws of the State to be applied to the Defence Forces, and especially in the cases of these women.

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