Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá sé go maith go bhfuil an tuairisc seo foilsithe agus go bhfuil sí á plé inniu. Tá an cuma ar an scéal go bhfuil daoine chun a bheith dáiríre, sa deireadh thiar thall, faoi dhéileáil leis na fadhbanna atá ann sna Fórsaí Cosanta anois agus sa todhchaí. Tá sé go maith go bhfuil an cuma ar an scéal go bhfuil an cheannaireacht sásta athruithe a dhéanamh. Tá súil agam go mbeidh an Roinn agus an tAire sásta é sin a dhéanamh. Tá athruithe áirithe luaite sa tuairisc. Ní fheicim cén fáth go bhfuil roinnt acu ann in aon chor. Tá gá le roinnt eile agus is "pie in the sky" atá i gceist le roinnt eile.

Before we can do much of what I and others have said or what is in the report, there is a job of work that needs to be done to tackle the legacy of bad management, of abuse and a culture of secrecy and cover-ups that I and many others have seen in the Defence Forces. In recent times we have seen the Women of Honour and the courage they have had in coming forward to outline the abuse they and others have suffered with the Defence Forces.

I know the Minister is aware of many other allegations of sexual abuse and claims against people still serving in the Defence Forces who abused men, boys and women. These have not been part of the claims to date, but are separate. I do not know the veracity of those claims. I am not an investigating officer, but given the extent of those charges or allegations, most of which are beyond the remit of the review the Minister has set up, An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and even the UN should be encouraged to address and investigate them with greater urgency.

Beyond that, the Defence Forces and the Minister need to learn from other defence forces that have addressed and been open about legacy issues, such as that relating to Lariam. This was a drug that was poisonous to some people, although for others it did what it was meant to do in addressing malaria. The regime of using Lariam continued beyond what should have been the case. When people were warned about it, they continued to use it.

Members of the Air Corps experienced decades-long exposure to poisons. While safety regimes may have been addressed, the legacy issue has never been dealt with. Following years of exposure to those poisons and chemicals, there are clusters of very serious and rare cancers among those who served in the Defence Forces, in particular the Air Corps. There were also incidences of suicide and other illnesses. In these cases, it is time to admit the truth, admit the error and not fight every single claim. This is to make sure those who served, and who are very proud of their service in the Defence Forces and in fact regale us with tales about it, could be people who encourage recruitment and encourage people to stay in. They feel let down and will not do so because the State is fighting them. It is not embracing them and looking after their health now that they have been cashiered out, have served their time or are too ill to serve. They need to be looked after. People will not join the Defence Forces if they believe they will ignore or forget about them in their time of need.

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