Before serving the people of Clare in this House, I was a member of the Reserve Defence Forces. As a former member, I have taken a special interest in the issue I will raise today. This week marks a year since Katie Hannon's documentary, "Women of Honour", was broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1.

For the first time since the research done by my colleague, Senator Clonan, the voices of those who suffered horrors and injustices at the hands of their superiors in the Defence Forces were heard. After that documentary, the Government scrambled to cobble together an independent review group, IRG, to pay lip service to these very genuine concerns. The Women of Honour are not happy, to say the least, specifically in respect of the IRG, which has not been able to build any confidence. They were assured of a collaborative approach but that was not the case. They wanted a copy of the interim report and that did not transpire. There is a complete lack of transparency. This week, as we celebrate the International Day of the Girl, it is not good enough to see female victims of male oppression in an organisation treated in such a manner. Will the Minister act on the previous commitment by the Taoiseach that he would move to a statutory process?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am aware that the Women of Honour issued a public statement yesterday. I heard some commentary on that in the media last evening but I am not fully across all the details. When the review was established, it was regarded as a critical first step. It is significant that it has not attracted the support of the women themselves. That is a concern and a disappointment. I will relay the Deputy's comments to the Minister for Defence and ask him to respond to her directly. It was always envisaged that the judge-led independent review group, chaired by Ms Justice Bronagh O'Hanlon, was to be regarded as a first step. However, it is clear that it does not have the confidence of the women concerned. That is a significant matter. I will ask the Minister to respond to the Deputy.