TAOISEACH SIMON HARRIS said that he wanted to acknowledge the actions of Natasha O’Brien, the young woman who was the victim of a vicious assault and whose attacker received a fully suspended sentence.

Speaking on The Anton Savage Show, the Taoiseach said that her refusal to remain quiet following the conclusion of Cathal Crotty’s trial, has led to a number of essential follow-up actions in combatting gender-based violence.

He also said that he was unhappy with the response that the government received from the Defence Forces.

When asked, the Defence Forces said that 68 serving members were convicted or currently before the courts. Harris said that a zero-tolerance approach must be taken.

“I think that there are certain crimes, where if alleged against somebody, without prejudice, somebody does need to be suspended from active duty.”

“If you’re accused of sexual assault, and you wear the uniform of Oglaigh na hÉireann, you can’t continue to wear that uniform until the matter is resolved. I don’t think that’s a radical concept, that’s what a zero-tolerance approach looks like,” he said.

However, he also said that he was frustrated by what he saw as his views on the matter being misrepresented.

“I don’t need anybody to explain this to me or write me long tweets to tell me I don’t understand this, I understand it very well.”

“There are already regulations in place. I think that within the parameters of what’s already there, it is entirely possible to have an effective dismissal of anybody convicted of a serious crime, but I also think that we have to go further than that,” he said.

One of the issues that he said will have to be reviewed is the requirement for the Defence Forces to provide a superior officer to give a report to court if a serving soldier is on trial for a crime.

On Thursday it was announced that a Senior Counsel is to be appointed by the Government to examine the Irish Defence Forces processes for dealing with personnel who have civilian criminal convictions.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin, who is Minister for Defence, has said that members of the Irish Defence Forces can be taken off active duty when facing charges or convictions of sexual assault or rape. He has instructed Chief of Staff, Lt Gen. Seán Clancy, that any person or case involving rape or sexual assault be placed on what is called “local leave”.

Clancy welcomed the move and said offenders convicted of serious offences “have no place in our ranks”.

“We owe it to the bravery of individuals like Natasha O’Brien, to those impacted within our own organisation and to the values we stand for to ensure that no one within the Defence Forces can avoid the consequences of their actions,” he said.