Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

Yes. Why would Kazakhstan take back people who are not Kazakhstani citizens? It will only take back people for whom it has responsibility.

There are issues with safe third countries and third country nationals being sent back to other member states. That is done under the Dublin III regulation, which is pretty ineffective. That is why there is a new returns directive coming in that we want to opt into. We will come back to the committee in respect of that as well.

There are also the return orders under section 51A of the International Protection Act 2015, which cover sending people back to safe third countries or and sending people who are inadmissible back to the country from whence they came.