Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill. I read it as a technical and tidying-up measure that also makes provisions for the Reserve Defence Force. I completely support it.

I will begin by taking the opportunity to thank our Defence Forces. Over the past 18 months, they have been extraordinary. At the height of one of the most frightening periods, I had to bring my daughter for a test. The whole thing was managed extraordinarily well and with military precision. There was safety and comfort in seeing members of our Defence Forces there. It was something that felt familiar and secure. I am grateful. The Naval Service, the contact tracing and the flying in of equipment and personal protective equipment have been extraordinary. I have had the honour in my career of working as a counselling psychologist in Kildare and had members and their families stationed in the Curragh come into my practice. As someone who never really had any contact with members of the Defence Forces, I was struck by that sense of honour and pride in our identity and what we did at home and overseas. As things were mentioned in the course of their duties and shared with me, I came to know the diverse way that the Defence Forces interact in our lives, unknown to us.

Recently, the Army rangers went to Afghanistan. I am old enough to remember cash transit vehicles having to be surrounded by Army personnel to keep us safe and to defend the State and its money. When we see things like that, we see evidence of what the Defence Forces do. Otherwise, outside of that, people are unaware of their daily work and its sheer extent, and just how committed and fantastic they are. In the context of this reserve and opening up, it would be good to have an information campaign for people to know just how amazing they are and what they do all day every day. Since we do not go to war, we only have the perception of those who go away with the UN in the blue berets, but that is out of the context of our everyday lives. There is a role in informing about that.

We see the issue of recruitment and the opportunity for the Defence Forces to be a career for people to explore and to go into apprenticeships. I am sure the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, would be only too delighted with a widening of apprenticeships and opportunities within the Defence Forces, and to work on and facilitate that with the Minister, Deputy Coveney. An information campaign is needed with regard to our Defence Forces, to know what they do daily, that would be beneficial to all of us because we all get that surge of pride when we see them in action.

Much has been said about the "Women of Honour". Those women should be applauded for their courage and honesty. We are horrified and stand in solidarity with them. I agree with the Minister that we believe what they are saying. I appreciate the steps that the Minister has taken and the meeting. His words are reassuring. I congratulate him for that. A basic constitutional right to natural justice and fair proceedings is that people do not investigate or cross-examine themselves, as has been spoken about by Senator Martin. There are principles in criminal law that should have been applied in this situation, whereby nobody gets to question a victim and survivor in the manner which we have heard of. I appreciate the Minister's actions in that regard and thank him. We look forward to a speedy resolution to the sharing of a culture that dishonours the many honourable men in our Defence Forces, with a small few blighting all of them.That said, there are also people standing around, seeing it happen and not speaking up. They need to be called out. I applaud the women.