Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea will announce the appointment of a Defence Forces ombudsman within weeks, it has emerged. Mr O'Dea was responding yesterday to comments by Pdforra, the Defence Forces representative association, that its members were reluctant to report bullying.
The comments followed a recent inquiry that found two members of the forces guilty of bullying while others are under investigation for alleged similar offences at McKee Barracks in Dublin.
Bullying allegations were taken seriously by the higher military authorities, Pdforra said, but a "cultural change" at barrack level was still required to deal with the issue. Mr O'Dea said he was determined to ensure that no one in the forces would feel inhibited from reporting bullying.
Legislation for an independent ombudsman was enacted last November and the first one has been selected by the civil service commission for recruitment, but will not be announced until next month. The ombudsman will take over the work of the internal complaints system.
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