Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

My question to the Taoiseach relates to the report of an independent review that is to be given to the Minister for Defence, Deputy Micheál Martin, today into allegations of bullying and harassment in the Defence Forces, namely, the women who featured in the high-profile radio documentary, "Women of Honour" , in late 2021. These are female Defence Forces members who acted as whistleblowers in regard to their own treatment of bullying and sexual harassment in the military. The Minister for Defence said he is fully committed to ensuring that every member of the Defence Forces has the right to undertake his or her duties in a safe environment underpinned by dignity and equality and in a culture of zero tolerance for any kind of bullying, discrimination, harassment or sexual abuse.

My question is similar to the question I asked earlier. The report is to be handed to the Minister today. Following that, it is to be reviewed by the Attorney General. The Minister will bring the report to Government for consideration and subsequent publication but there is no timeline on the publication of the report. Similar to the earlier case of the abortion review, we need a timeline for such reports. We cannot leave these women waiting. It is a year since that report was commissioned, and more than a year since the documentary. That is a long time for them to wait.

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