Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like so many others, I begin by acknowledging the exceptional dedication and courage of the Women of Honour and their campaign to have justice applied to this issue. We are all aware, thanks to the Women of Honour, that serious failures in the complaints system have occurred in the Defence Forces and these serious failures have caused anguish and pain that is ongoing, unfortunately, for so many. Indeed, the draft terms of reference, if they are accepted by the House, make clear that the tribunal will commence its investigations covering the period from 1 January 1983 on. This in itself hints at decades of pain that may be unearthed during this process.

It really is quite shocking that what we are talking about goes as far back as 1983. I am aware the Women of Honour group has expressed serious reservations around the draft terms of reference. For that reason alone, we should not rush the process. Accuracy and justice cannot be sacrificed for haste and political expediency. Having read the letter and analysis of the draft terms provided to us by the Women of Honour, the lines that jumped out were those that stated that in its members' view, the Minister has sought to equate the Defence Forces' workplace of "rapes, sexual assaults and other outrages with slips, trips and falls." Safety issues in the Defence Forces are real. The Women of Honour group has noted that it is certainly not a safe workplace, with rape violence, bullying and other proven outrages not only perpetrated but condoned, concealed and in some cases even enabled. This underscores for me the absolute gravity of the situation and, indeed, the compelling need to get the process off to a good start by securing wide agreement on the draft terms of reference. We have to listen to these women in making sure we do this properly and the process is correct from the start.

See this speech in context