Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If the Deputy has any particular information he would like to forward to my Department, he should do so. It is not appropriate for me to go into the details of individual situations in the Dáil. Any intimidation of witnesses is an offence under section 41 of the Act, which specifies the offence as harming, threatening or menacing or in any other way intimidating or putting in fear another person who is assisting in the investigation of an offence by the Garda Síochána with the intention of causing the investigation or course of justice to be obstructed, perverted or interfered with. It is punishable by imprisonment of up to ten years.

As I said, it is a very sensitive area and is under review by my Department and, in the first instance, this is how it should be handled. Given the small size of the State and the population and the closeness of communities here, the operation of the witness protection arrangements presents particular challenges. Striking the right balance between the appropriate legislative framework and maintaining the absolute confidentiality and flexibility in its operation is a key concern. In the first instance, it is most appropriate to continue the review within the Department and then, perhaps, other possibilities such as the Deputy suggested could continue at that point.

See this speech in context