I wish to raise a very important issue with the Minister, which is the inability of our Defence Forces to recognise the bravery of their troops due to overly restrictive regulations placed on them. I wish, if I may, to use the tragic case of Private Billy Kedian as an example of this. Billy was a very young Irish soldier who was killed in action 24 years ago in south Lebanon. I welcome a small delegation of his comrades, who were also there on that fateful day, who are in the Public Gallery. It is great to have them here. His post was hit by indirect fire. He could have saved himself very easily by running straight for the bunker, but he did not. He ensured that all his comrades were in there first and was one of the last people to make for the bunker. Unfortunately, and tragically, about 6 ft short of the main door, a mortar bomb landed and he was killed on site, which was a huge tragedy. To compound that tragedy, many of his colleagues and indeed his commanding officer have requested that the military recognise the outstanding bravery he brought on that day. It has not been possible for very restrictive and unnecessary reasons. There is a so-called "two year" rule that if colleagues and comrades do not apply for a medal within two years of an incident taking place, it is regarded as completely null and void, which is ridiculous. I am sure the Minister recognises that. I am grateful that the Minister got to meet the delegation briefly earlier this morning. That matters a lot. Administrative convenience should never be a factor when it comes to the award of military decorations. It should only be on the merits of the case before us and whether the actions of the individual or individuals met the high bar to warrant the award of a medal.

Current regulations are completely outdated. They are not up to international best practice or even national best practice - Commissioner Drew Harris has no problem going back decades to identify individual gardaí who put their bodies on the line and award them Scott Medals accordingly.

We should always in this House recognise excellence when we see it, in all its forms. In the case of Private Kedian, it is the highest degree of excellence; we should certainly focus on that. In summary, I ask the Minister to intercede with the Tánaiste and his other Cabinet colleagues to dispense completely with the ridiculous two-year rule. No other organisation I know of does that. It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword and this is a classic example of when a Minister can intervene directly and change the regulations and ensure that the people who genuinely display the highest acts of valour and their families are awarded accordingly.

I thank Deputy Berry. I welcome Private Kedian's comrades who are here today. I had the pleasure and honour of meeting them earlier this morning. I thank the Deputy for his continued advocacy on behalf of our Defence Forces, both serving and retired. It is important that we all remember the sacrifice Private Kedian made for his country and the UN on a peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon. He lost his life - it was the ultimate sacrifice - in protecting his own comrades. That is the type of bravery in service to which I referred in my previous response. We should respect, and this Government does, our Defence Forces, both serving and retired. The terrible loss for Private Kedian's family and friends and his community is still felt, I have no doubt, to this day.

The Defence Forces have been central to Irish foreign policy and our record as a nation strongly committed to a rules-based international order. Irish soldiers, through their dedication and professionalism, have made an honourable and internationally recognised contribution to United Nations peacekeeping efforts, which they continue to do to this day.

However, as we were very recently reminded, unfortunately, this work is not without risk. I recognise that the awarding of medals is a very sensitive and important issue for many people. There is, as Deputy Berry outlined, a deliberative process around the awarding of medals, which are awarded to members of the Defence Forces on the basis of various criteria such as length of service, service overseas and, in this instance, acts of bravery at home or abroad. From discussing this particular former member of the Defence Forces, Billy Kedian, and what happened to him and his comrades, he demonstrated such bravery associated with service. Regulation A9 sets out the qualifying criteria. There is a time-bound provision. I know that the Tánaiste in his previous role, as well as now, has examined how we could make sure, through the independent review group for Jadotville, for argument's sake, that proper recognition was made both posthumously and for those who still remained who fought so bravely in the Congo so many years ago. I assure the Deputy, Private Kedian's colleagues and Senator Craughwell, who has also been advocating on his behalf, that I will raise this matter directly with the Tánaiste. He has asked the Chief of Staff to consider a review of the medals process, particularly in the context of the recommendations of the independent review group on Jadotville.

I am glad that Deputy Berry raised this matter today. I fully understand the importance of it for Private Kedian's family, his comrades and his community.

I thank the Minister for that encouraging response. The country could do with a few heroes these days. The great irony is that we already have them; we just have not found a way to recognise and acknowledge them. We have done so in the sporting and business worlds, but not in the military world. I look forward to engaging with the Tánaiste on this issue because it is long past time that both Private Billy Kedian and his family got the recognition and acknowledgment they rightly deserve.

I assure the Deputy that following his intervention and his question today, I will raise the matter personally and directly with the Tánaiste. I reiterate that he has asked the Chief of Staff to consider a review of the medals process, perhaps using the incidence of Private Kedian as an example of some other outstanding matters in relation to recognition of Defence Forces personnel. I assure the Deputy that I will discuss this directly with the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. I will ask him to revert directly to Deputy Berry. I wish to thank his comrades who have taken the time to be in Dáil Éireann this afternoon.