Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

507. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the types of measures in place to ensure the protection of witnesses and juries, respectively, in serious criminal cases; and the approximate spend on same in each of the past five years. [35712/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The intimidation of a witness or juror is an offence pursuant to Section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1999, 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. Following the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009, the offence is punishable on indictment by a fine or a term of imprisonment of up to 15 years.

In addition, section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 2009 provides that a witness (other than the accused) may give evidence by video-link where the court is satisfied that the person is likely to be in fear or subject to intimidation in giving evidence.

An Garda Síochána has operated a Witness Security Programme since 1997 to respond to attempts by criminal and other groups to prevent the normal functioning of the criminal justice system, including through the threat and the use of violence and systematic intimidation of witnesses. The budget allocation for the Witness Security Programme in the years 2012-2016 is set out in the following table.

The operation of the Witness Security Programme and the resources required for it are kept under continuous review by the Garda authorities. The Deputy will appreciate that by virtue of the necessarily highly confidential nature of the Witness Security Programme and the need to maintain the protection and safety of the persons who receive support from it, it is not the practice to detail the specifics of its operation.