Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is no secret that I despise the way the IRG report was published. It would have been significant enough at the time to put out two lines saying that there was prima facie evidence, based on research, for a tribunal of inquiry. The rush to the gallows in this building, with rope to hang everybody who wore a uniform, was outrageous and disgusting, but that is not the issue today. We are where we are.

The Tánaiste has put a tribunal in place. For that, I thank him. I have no difficulty with what he is saying about culture change. The members of the external oversight body the Tánaiste has picked are good. Patricia King has been dealing with employment matters for a long time. The chairman is an excellent chairman. I have no difficulty with any of that, but I want the Defence Forces members I meet to be proud of the fact that, ultimately, the report of that body will lead to the culture change that the Tánaiste, the Chief of Staff, the IRG report, RACO and PDFORRA say needs to happen. I want to see it happen. I want to see that report accepted by everybody.

It is not about the Secretary General as a person but about the appointment of the Secretary General as a member of the board. I accept the IRG recommended that the Secretary General be on the external oversight body, but everybody in this House has told the Minister it is wrong in every sense to have a Secretary General from the Department of Defence involved. He can put another Secretary General on it if he wants, but the Department of Defence should be one step removed from that body. We all want to have confidence in it. The Tánaiste has put an excellent team together. RACO does not want to be part of it but if the Secretary General is part of it, then RACO should be part of it. The same applies to PDFORRA.

I and a number of others gave evidence to the IRG. It had nothing to do with bullying or sexual harassment; it was about respect for serving members who had been forgotten, like Billy Kedian, the Jadotville lads and the men from Niemba. The Chief of Staff is putting that right now and it is time it was put right.

For God's sake, I ask the Tánaiste to pull back from this. If he does not, I ask the Secretary General to recuse herself. This external oversight body has to have the confidence of everybody. It does not have the confidence of this House or the Lower House while the Secretary General is an ex officio member. If the Tánaiste cannot take the decision, then I ask the Secretary General to take it. I want this to work and I want nobody to be able to turn around in a year or two years' time and say the whole thing was rigged because the Secretary General was a member of the oversight body. Let us do it right.