Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 June 2024
136. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of times senior members of the Defence Forces have attended the trials of Defence Force members in an official capacity; the number of times senior members of the Defence Forces have provided character references at the trials of Defence Force members in an official capacity; from 2018 to date, in tabular form. [27682/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the process for a military representative in civilian court cases, is captured in Defence Forces Regulations, namely DFR A7.
Paragraphs 55 to 58 of this Regulation specify that a military representative is required to be present during the trial in a civil court (criminal court) of an accused member of the Defence Forces. One of the roles of that representative, which is also provided for in this Regulation, is to assist the court, if called upon to do so, with any queries the Court may have in respect of the service record of the accused member. In addition, the Regulation provides for the representative to prepare a short but comprehensive report of the trial and findings immediately on conclusion of the proceedings, for transmission to the accused member's Commanding Officer.
I have asked the military authorities to provide the details requested by the Deputy and understand that work has commenced on collating that information. I will revert to the Deputy with a reply as soon as possible.
