Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 254: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of people investigated in respect of, and convicted for, witness intimidation each year for the past five years. [20963/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of people investigated in respect of, and convicted for, jury intimidation each year for the past five years. [20964/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 254 and 255 together.

There is a specific statutory offence of intimidation of witnesses or jurors. Section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1999 makes it an offence to harm or threaten or in any other way intimidate or put in fear another person who is assisting in the investigation by the Garda Síochána of an offence or is a witness or potential witness or a juror or potential juror in proceedings for an offence, or a member of his or her family, with the intention thereby of causing the investigation or the course of justice to be obstructed, perverted or interfered with.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that separate records are not maintained of offences under section 41 directed against witnesses and those directed against jurors.

Therefore, the table hereunder shows the present position with regard to the number of proceedings commenced, persons charged/summonsed and convictions for the offences of harming, threatening to harm, menacing, intimidating and putting in fear another person, who was assisting in the investigation by the Garda Síochána of an offence or is a witness/potential witness or juror/potential juror in proceedings for an offence, with the intention of causing the investigation or the course of justice to be obstructed, perverted or interfered with, for the years 2004 to 20 May 2009.