Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise a very important issue with the Minister, which is the inability of our Defence Forces to recognise the bravery of their troops due to overly restrictive regulations placed on them. I wish, if I may, to use the tragic case of Private Billy Kedian as an example of this. Billy was a very young Irish soldier who was killed in action 24 years ago in south Lebanon. I welcome a small delegation of his comrades, who were also there on that fateful day, who are in the Public Gallery. It is great to have them here. His post was hit by indirect fire. He could have saved himself very easily by running straight for the bunker, but he did not. He ensured that all his comrades were in there first and was one of the last people to make for the bunker. Unfortunately, and tragically, about 6 ft short of the main door, a mortar bomb landed and he was killed on site, which was a huge tragedy. To compound that tragedy, many of his colleagues and indeed his commanding officer have requested that the military recognise the outstanding bravery he brought on that day. It has not been possible for very restrictive and unnecessary reasons. There is a so-called "two year" rule that if colleagues and comrades do not apply for a medal within two years of an incident taking place, it is regarded as completely null and void, which is ridiculous. I am sure the Minister recognises that. I am grateful that the Minister got to meet the delegation briefly earlier this morning. That matters a lot. Administrative convenience should never be a factor when it comes to the award of military decorations. It should only be on the merits of the case before us and whether the actions of the individual or individuals met the high bar to warrant the award of a medal.

Current regulations are completely outdated. They are not up to international best practice or even national best practice - Commissioner Drew Harris has no problem going back decades to identify individual gardaí who put their bodies on the line and award them Scott Medals accordingly.

We should always in this House recognise always excellence when we see it, in all its forms. In the case of Private Kedian, it is the highest degree of excellence; we should certainly focus on that. In summary, I ask the Minister to intercede with the Tánaiste and his wider Cabinet colleagues to dispense completely with the ridiculous two-year rule. No other organisation I know of does that. It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword and this is a classic example of when a Minister can intervene directly and change the regulations and ensure that the people who genuinely display the highest acts of valour and their families are awarded accordingly.

See this speech in context