Does a woman or person abused by someone in the Army have the same rights as other victims? The victims of crime Act 2017 does not apply to the Army. It applies to the Garda but not to the Army. In June, I raised a case here with the Tánaiste about a woman who was stalked, abused and assaulted by an Army officer. He used Army equipment, even an Army grenade, as part of that harassment. She made a complaint in November 2022. We are nearly three years on and she has heard nothing further about how that case is being prosecuted. She has no right to review it because the victims of crime Act does not apply to the Army. I raised this with the Tánaiste but I did not get any reply back, and neither has the woman since the end of June or July.

I have also been shown a GoFundMe that the Army had in one of the battalions, where they all used rapists’ names when contributing to the GoFundMe - names like Paddy Jackson, Ted Bundy, Fred West, Jimmy Savile, Larry Murphy, Stuart Olding and so on. Such is the toxic rape culture within the Army that they felt no problem in doing this. It was the “11th POC planting 1200 native trees” GoFundMe. This was sent to this woman as a message that anybody can say anything they want in the Army.

Will the Tánaiste please extend the victims of crime Act to the Army, allow people to get information on their cases and allow them to have the right to a review if it is not prosecuted? Will he agree to meet this woman to discuss the situation further? We have had Natasha O'Brien, we have had the Women of Honour and now we have this.

I sincerely apologise if the Deputy did not get a reply to that. I will check that.

I got an acknowledgement.

Yes, I know, but you should have got a substantive response. My sincere apologies if that did not happen. I will ensure that it does now because there can be zero tolerance for this. “Zero tolerance” cannot just be a phrase. The Defence Forces cannot recuse themselves from zero tolerance. It has to apply to every part of Irish society, including the Defence Forces.

I am open to meeting that individual. I just need to take advice on the appropriateness of it and what the current status of the case is. Certainly, let me come back to the Deputy in relation to that and the appropriateness of it. On the victims of crime Act, again, I want to engage with my officials on it, but it seems logical to seek to extend it to the Defence Forces

More broadly, the Deputy rightly mentioned the Women of Honour, which is important. They have done the State a huge service. We have established a tribunal to investigate the many important issues. The culture needs to change. There can be zero tolerance for any gender-based violence, domestic violence or sexual violence within our Defence Forces.