Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 July 2026
131. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Defence the number of times she has met with the Women of Honour group in 2026; the details of the issues discussed; her plans to address these issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54222/26]
View answerThank you Deputy for your question. I met with representatives of the Women of Honour CLG Group and their legal advisors on the 26th of January this year, where among the items discussed was counselling for witnesses who engage with the Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry and funding for the Group.
Immediately following the meeting, I contacted my colleague, Ms Jennifer Carroll McNeill, T.D., Minister for Health, to seek her assistance in providing counselling services to members of the Group who have or will be attending the Tribunal.
I subsequently wrote to the Group on 25th February, where I sought information from the Women of Honour CLG, in relation to the number of people requiring support, the types of professional supports being sought and the geographical spread of each type of support. This information is required to allow the HSE Counselling Service to formulate a package of measures specific to the Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry.
There are a number of supports which are currently available to serving and former members of the Defence Forces:
Lena by Inspire, is a 24/7 external confidential helpline and confidential counselling service. It is independent of the Defence Forces and my Department. The service is available to all serving personnel of the Defence Forces and to their partners or spouses and adult children living at home. As an additional avenue of independent professional counselling, the service has been extended to include all individuals who have engaged with the Tribunal in any capacity.
The Confidential Contact Person, within Raiseaconcern, remains available providing a safe place to support the reporting of alleged wrongdoing for both serving and former members of the Defence Forces.
The Personnel Support Service in the Defence Forces assists members and their immediate family with the provision of information and advice on areas including stress management, counselling and referral options.
The HSE National Counselling Service is available for anyone who feels they may need professional counselling support, post engaging with the above services.
In relation to the issue of funding which was raised by the Group with me, in order to progress this matter, I requested details of their governance arrangements, which are standard requirements for the oversight and management of public financial expenditure. An element of this required information was received in May this year, and once the clarifications are received from the Group, their funding ask will be considered and I will respond to the Group.
