Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I stand corrected on the figure, which was just €7.5 million over the last three years. However, this is concrete proof that there are serious issues in the Defence Forces. It vindicates the Women of Honour in many ways and proves there is a need for an inquiry to deal with significant issues that cause serious harm to those in the Defence Forces. According to the Irish Examiner almost 500 claims are currently undergoing litigation. This is likely to be the tip of the iceberg. The majority of people will drop their complaints long before it goes to litigation and most likely without any real resolution.

The existing complaints procedures are not fit for purpose. Something must be done to stop driving people to the courts when their complaints need to be resolved through a better mechanism.

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