A few days ago, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Deputy Micheál Martin, said those serving in the Defence Forces must be held to a higher standard because they are part of a force that is meant to protect society. That statement was backed up by Lieutenant General Clancy. I am sorry to say, I felt he should have spoken up for the honourable people in the Defence Forces rather than the people who were dishonourable.

Kathy Sheridan had a go at me and my colleague, Deputy Cathal Berry, in The Irish Times today for our defence of the Defence Forces, again outlining zero tolerance within the Defence Forces. Are we to have two different sets of standards? For example, in the Prison Service, a senior prison manager called a female colleague into his office, undressed himself and asked her to perform oral sex on him. She gets compensation of €100,000, and what happens to him?

He was transferred. What about the psychiatrist in child and adolescent mental health services who sexually assaulted his 16-year-old client?

I am sorry, Senator, could I just ask that-----

These are reported matters.

I am not trying to stop you; I am trying to help you.

Okay.

In case this is before the courts-----

No, it is not.

I am just saying be careful with what you are saying in-----

Including historical-----

-----identifying individuals. We are not here to-----

I will not name anybody. The bottom line on it is-----

Even referring to people leads to-----

We have allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in the National Ambulance Service. In such circumstances, where do we strike a balance when it comes to zero tolerance? My belief is that zero tolerance should be the approach in every organisation in the country and that we should not tolerate any of that sort of behaviour. However, we cannot now single out the Defence Forces because they happen to be the whipping boys this week. Let us go through the entire public service. The Defence Forces have been put under more scrutiny that any other organisation in this country. I wonder how the Irish Prison Service would fair in this regard. I have sufficient stuff on my desk about the Irish Prison Service, including complaints of bullying and harassment. I have contacted the Minister in respect of the matter. I have written to a prison governor about the horrendous treatment rained down on one of his staff. It is simply not good enough to start trying to set two sets of standards, namely one for the Defence Forces and one for everybody else. If people are working in this country - I do not care if it is the public service or private sector or if they are in uniform or not in uniform - there should be a standard of decent behaviour that we should all aspire to reach and whereby those who see something going wrong should speak out at the time and put a stop to it.