Vol. 527 No. 4
34 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Defence the representations he has made to the President of the District Court regarding the recent negative comments of a District Justice on a service provided by members of the Defence Forces with UNIFIL; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28699/00]
On 24 November 2000, arising from the comments made by Judge Desmond Windle on 23 November 2000 when he was reported in the media as describing overseas service by members of the Defence Forces as a "farce", a press release was issued on my behalf in which I took issue with these comments.
In the press release I indicated that Judge Windle would appear to be poorly informed of the enormous contribution made by Irish troops on United Nations peacekeeping duties for the past 40 years. This contribution of personnel and the manner in which they go about the business of peacekeeping is a matter of national pride. I also indicated that, as Minister for Defence, I have first-hand knowledge of the positive contribution made by Irish soldiers in the cause of world peace and that I can say without fear of contradiction that United Nations service in Lebanon and other countries has made a difference and continues to make a difference to the lives of ordinary people in these trouble spots. The professionalism, dedication and even-handedness with which Irish soldiers carry out their peacekeeping duties has received praise at the highest level internationally.
I observed that the easiest way to really discover the effectiveness of the Defence Forces on peacekeeping missions is to meet the local communities in Lebanon, Kosovo and Bosnia Herz egovina and hear their glowing comments on the impartiality and the undoubted help and support given to their communities by Irish soldiers.
I do not intend to make representations to the President of the District Court regarding Judge Windle's comments, as suggested by Deputy O'Shea, as he has since issued a statement saying he in no way intended to reflect on the courage, competence or integrity of any member of the Defence Forces serving abroad. He regrets that any of his comments were interpreted in a negative way. In particular, he regrets any upset to the relatives of those who may have died on UN service especially in the Lebanon.
I am satisfied, as are the military authorities, that this matter is now closed.
I welcome the Minister's reply and the statement he made at that time. We are not highlighting in the media or through other available resources the major contribution the Defence Forces play throughout the world. A recent article in the Sunday World highlighted the good work of the Defence Forces. Perhaps more PR is required on the work they do overseas in the Lebanon and elsewhere. While I accept the representative association publishes a magazine, will the Minister consider publishing a release on the Defence Forces on an ongoing basis to highlight the work being done by them. That might prevent esteemed people such as Judge Windle from making the remarks he made.
We could easily make the mistake of believing Judge Windle's comments were close to reflecting the public view. I am certain they do not. In the past few years our esteemed President and the Taoiseach were the first in their offices to visit our troops overseas and those visits got fantastic publicity, good coverage and speak well of the attitude of people in our highest offices to the work of the Defence Forces. The Deputy is correct in that there are other ways in which we can enhance the public image of the Defence Forces, and I would be pleased to do that. I do not believe Judge Windle's comments reflect the public attitude towards the Defence Forces. I will leave it at that.
I welcome the Minister's praise of the overseas service of our Defence Forces, but is he satisfied with the partial withdrawal by the President of the District Court of his statement?
In my reply I briefly covered the statement attributed to Judge Windle. The military authorities and I are prepared to leave it at that. We would not do any great service to the Defence Forces by maintaining a row, particularly when we genuinely believe those comments have been withdrawn and do not reflect the public view of the Defence Forces.
Is the Minister satisfied with that?
I am not taking any further action on it.
The Minister should answer my question.
The judge should stick to his knitting and matters related to the Judiciary in future.
