Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 June 2016
68. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the budget allocation for the Garda Síochána's witness protection programme in 2015 and 2016 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16133/16]
View answerThe 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 threats of violence and systematic intimidation of witnesses. The budget allocation for the Witness Security Programme in 2015 and 2016 is set out in the following table.
|
Year |
Estimate Provision |
|
2015 |
€1.198m |
|
2016 |
€1.198m |
The Witness Security Programme is operated by the Garda authorities, overseen by the Crime and Security Section at Garda Headquarters supported by the Special Detective Unit and other Garda resources as necessary. The operation of the 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 highly confidential nature of the Witness Security Programme and the need to maintain the protection of persons who receive support from it, it has not been the practice of successive Ministers to detail the specifics of its operation.
