Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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195. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence when the heads of Bill regarding suspension of Defence Forces personnel will be published; when the recommendations of the report by a person (details supplied) will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17688/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I wish to assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to a zero-tolerance approach to criminal activity by serving members of the Defence Forces. Implementation of the 35 Ward recommendations, which have been accepted in their entirety, is a priority for me.

A number of those recommendations, however, including those relating to suspension of Defence Force members, require extensive legal underpinning.

To address this, I sought the inclusion of the draft Heads to take forward powers of suspension and related matters in the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Government has recently approved the drafting of the Bill.

The Heads of Bill will be published on my Department’s website shortly. My officials are engaging with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to progress the drafting process. I have made it clear that this legislative body of work is a priority for me.

In the interim, there are a number of recommendations in the Report, which I believe can be progressed in the shorter term by amendments to existing Defence Force Regulations. My Officials are actively engaging with Military Authorities in order to progress these amendments without delay.