Seanad debates

Thursday, 15 July 2021

Report of Independent Review Group Jadotville: Statements

 

9:30 am

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Senators for their contributions. It is an emotive issue and many people have invested time and effort into raising concerns about Jadotville and, more important, how people were treated when they returned. No Defence Forces member should be vilified upon returning from serving in an overseas mission but that happened to far too many in the aftermath of Jadotville.

The State is making an apology this evening for how people were treated. We are rewriting history in terms of the wrongs that were done and, at least in our words, we are recognising what should not have happened but did, and the lessons we have learned from that. I hope the substance of what is happening this evening is not lost in the debate, despite the frustrations many have expressed about the report.

It is useful that the House is committing to another debate in September or at some point in the future. I ask people to take the time over the summer to read the report in full. I am conscious of the fact that I only made it available today, a few hours before the debate. Much of the criticism of the report, certainly that I saw on social media, was within 40 minutes of its being made available. Clearly, people were disappointed some things were not in the report or that they could not find them, but I hope people read the report in full if they get a chance, rather than just the 45 pages of executive summary, which is a large executive summary. I have read not all but a lot of the report. There is a lot of substance in the report and a lot of direct language. I understand that has made people bristle in this House. There was criticism of some public representatives' approach and the suggested motivation of statements they have made.

I appeal to people not to make this issue about us as public representatives, as a House or as local authority members. I understand the criticism but the focus must be on the issue, the families and the veterans, so we learn lessons from serious mistakes that should not have happened and ensure we change systems in our Defence Forces and in our governance structures to make sure the recommendations in the report, some of which are outside the terms of reference, are given serious consideration. We can learn lessons from the report. It is an outlining of history as well as a blunt critique of some of the commentary around Jadotville. The report questions the accuracy of what some have said at different times. It does not surprise me that people have pushed back on some of that language.

It is evident the report has not been written for political popularity. I think it was written on the basis of trying to establish facts through a blunt use of language. Some of the recommendations are strong and the criticism of the politicians, the Defence Forces and the way people were treated are equally strong and given in blunt terms. Terms like "vilification" and "whispering campaign" are used and there are references to the destruction of the relationship between men and the Defence Forces and the State. It is powerful, hard-hitting language and we can learn a lot from it. Some will question and disagree with the recommendations, as is their right.

I deliberately have not dealt with each recommendation in terms of how I intend to respond to it because a report of nearly 500 pages needs time to consider and digest. We can take what is strong, positive and powerful from this report, question the areas that need to be challenged and questioned, should that arise, and, most important, learn lessons and adopt recommendations.

A number of things need to be said. The awarding of medals must be within a military system. I think everybody agrees with that. However, the treatment of men and women in the Defence Forces is not just about the military system. It is my job as Minister for Defence to ensure we train, support and respect members of our Defence Forces past and present, in terms of the challenges we ask of them. I will respond to the report in as ambitious a way as I can as a Minister in terms of learning lessons from the recommendations and, in particular, in how we treat our veterans, which has improved dramatically in recent decades. This is not to say it cannot continue to improve.

The recommendation in the report around setting up a commissioner for veterans is something I am discussing with our team in the Department of Defence and will discuss with the incoming Chief of Staff in a few months' time. Let us focus also on some of the positive aspects of this report. This report asks some hard questions of us in some pretty tough language and, of course, it is our job to be constructively critical of a report of this scale, substance and breadth. We have to focus on the substance of the issues, rather than on some of the criticisms of ourselves. We must also focus on accuracy, which is important to the credibility of how we deal with this issue. This is a significantly emotive issue but we must match the emotion and the responsibility that comes with that with historical accuracy.

I will happily interact with this House and it would be very useful were we to take the time over the next number of weeks - because we will get some time then hopefully - to carefully study this report. I will be happy to speak to anybody individually on it as to any concerns he or she may have and perhaps we may come back as a collective to discuss it. At that point, I as a Minister will be able to provide a great deal more detail as to how we can respond to some of the good recommendations in this report and what we can do, separate to this report, in having a State commemoration for those who served in Jadotville, which is also one of the report's recommendations.

It is not fair to say there is nothing in this report that recognises the significant contribution of our Defence Forces in the battle of Jadotville.

The other thing to say is that this report makes a strong effort to try to create the context around Jadotville, which was not an isolated battle. It was part of a much broader and extremely complex peacekeeping mission that resulted in much tragedy. In fact, men trying to reach our Defence Forces personnel in Jadotville died while trying to cross a bridge but being unable to reach Commandant Quinlan and those serving under him. There are many such stories that also need to be recognised in the context of this broader story. There are many lessons to be learned. This is undoubtedly a hard-hitting report and one that does raise the hackles of the political system and I ask people to take some time to read what is a detailed report and let us then come back and have an equally blunt conversation in how we respond to it as policymakers, and in my case, as a member of the Government and Minister for Defence.

Finally, to all of those who served in Jadotville and to their families who are now representing their interests, I say it is because we value their contribution and are genuinely sorry about what happened to them when they came home that we want to learn lessons from that, to ensure that it does not happen to another generation of Irish soldiers at any point in the future. It is because we continue to take their stories seriously that I asked for this report to be produced, that we have produced specific medals for Jadotville in An Bonn Jadotville, as well as citations and scrolls that families and individuals have received. I am aware that is not the same as a distinguished service medal, DSM, and I know what that means to soldiers.

I also note that as we speak, the structures required to put a medals board in place to look at the potential awarding of a DSM to Commandant Quinlan are being set up. Were he to receive that, he would not only be receiving it on behalf of himself and of the leadership he showed but would be receiving it on behalf of the contribution of all who served around him. That is also made clear in this report. In response to Senator Carrigy, I know and accept that is not enough for many people but there are positives in this report. There are also things on which we need to reflect over the summer and I certainly look forward to coming back to this House at the appropriate time when we can continue this debate.

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