Harris expressed frustration with Defence Forces controversy

The Taoiseach has admitted he was frustrated over an ongoing controversy in the Defence Forces.

It comes after earlier this week Simon Harris stated that information on how many serving members had criminal convictions was not immediately available to him.

The Defence Forces later said a total of 68 members have been convicted or are before the courts charged with criminal offences.

They include public order, drink-driving, drugs, physical assault and sexual offences.

Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Micheal Martin asked for a review of members of the Irish military who were charged with offences after the case of an Irish soldier who assaulted a woman until she was unconscious prompted protests across Ireland in the past week.

Victim Natasha O’Brien called on politicians and the Defence Forces to “do your job” to protect women and other civilians.

Speaking to reporters at the Night and Day festival in Co Roscommon, Mr Harris said: “I think it’s fair to say that I did express kind of visible frustration during the week – and that was motivated from a place of good because I had watched what Natasha O’Brien had been going through.

“Zero tolerance isn’t a political slogan, zero tolerance is cultural change we need to bring about in Ireland.”

Mr Harris added: “We’re not yet where we need to be culturally in relation to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, and the last couple of weeks have been a stark reminder of that.

“We already have Defence Force regulations – that I’m paraphrasing now – that say if somebody is convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison, suspended or otherwise, that the dismissal process should begin.

“That process needs to be efficient, and if there’s any blockages or any reasons why it isn’t, we need to know that.

“We do, in my view, need to go further than that.

“If there’s an allegation of a serious crime against you in the domestic, sexual or gender-based violence area – I fully appreciate your due process, I fully appreciate the difference between a conviction and allegation – but I do think people shouldn’t be allowed continue in active service during that period of time.”

He added: “These are people who wear the uniform of our country. And I should say this too, because I do know when any when any controversy blows up in any organisation. I know it can sap the morale of people.

“There’s many many thousands of good men and women in Oglaigh na hEireann and they do us proud at home and abroad – and it’s for them we have to get this right.”