The criminal justice system has not been discredited due to the collapse of a murder trial this week, according to the chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice.
Fianna Fáil TD Mr Sean Ardagh said today the criminal justice system dealt successfully with a huge number of cases every day, including cases of organised crime.
His comments come after the collapse in the Central Criminal Court of the trial of Mr Liam Keane for the murder of a Limerick man, Mr Eric Leamy.
"It would be disproportionate because of difficulties in one particular case, to suggest that the system has suddenly collapsed, and that the constitutional and legal basis of that system has been discredited," said Mr Ardagh.
Mr Ardagh, speaking at a press conference this morning, said the committee would hold a public review of measures to prevent witness intimidation.
He suggested a three-day public hearing of the committee could begin on November 28th and continue on Monday December 1st and Tuesday December 2nd.
Members of the public, title holders and bodies such as the Bar Council, the Law Society, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Human Rights Commission will be invited to make submissions to the committee, which will examine current best practice in other jurisdictions, including the Canadian model, to prevent witness intimidation.
In Canada, pre-trial statements are admissible in court even if the witness does not stand by them during a hearing.
The committee will also examine steps required to speed up criminal trials and the possibility of extending the admissibility of videotaped interviews as evidence in court.
It will also look at the resourcing, operational and administrative issues of policing and the courts system.