Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Yes. It is important that they be formally represented from the beginning by counsel without fear of residual legal costs.

Regarding the status of the Defence Forces, it is important that the House acknowledge the pride we all have in our Defence Forces. As a member of the Government during the decade of commemoration, we were proud of the way our Defence Forces represented the nation in every part of the country and of the incredible service they gave and continue to give, often at the cost of their lives overseas. It is a unique institution in our State and we need a fundamental inquiry into the causes of concern in it so that, by the end, we can address and resolve those causes and ensure the Defence Forces are a model workplace where the sorts of abuses and damage to people we have heard of do not recur. I hope this tribunal will be the end of the matter, but unless the amendments suggested are accepted, they will not be.

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