Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 14: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of occasions since June 2002 on which aircraft have been chartered to facilitate the deportation of persons; the cost involved in such charters; the number of persons deported in this way and the number who were children; the overall costs involved, including Garda man hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16125/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Charter flights are not the only means by which persons who are illegally resident here are removed from the State. For example, in 2004, a total of 599 persons were deported from the State, of whom 277 were removed on chartered aircraft and the remaining 322 on scheduled commercial aircraft. A further 65 persons who had first claimed asylum in another EU State were removed to that State under the Dublin II regulations by means of scheduled commercial aircraft. Furthermore, in 2004, a total of 611 persons opted for assisted voluntary repatriation and these were effected on scheduled commercial aircraft. Of these 611 persons, 218 were directly assisted by my Department while the remaining 393 were assisted through the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, by means of specific schemes negotiated and funded by my Department.

In regard to the specific question raised by the Deputy, I refer to the reply I gave to Questions Nos. 127, 131 and 711 on Tuesday, 12 April 2005. From January 2002 to date, 13 charter flights have been engaged for the purpose of deportation of persons illegally residing in the State. A total of 376 persons were deported in this way at a total cost of €1,628,201. Details of these charter flights, that is, dates, destinations, numbers deported — broken down into adults and minors, in so far as this information is available — and individual costs, are as shown in the following table.

The costs outlined do not include Garda expenses associated with these removal operations. I am advised by the Garda Commissioner that, given the wide range of immigration duties performed by the Garda Síochána and the Garda National Immigration Bureau in particular, it is not possible to identify the particular pay and overtime costs incurred by the gardaí in regard to these charter flights. However, the Commissioner informs me that charter flights involve a lower ratio of Garda escorts to deportees than is the case using conventional schedule flights, resulting in savings to the Garda budget.

The number of escorting gardaí on each flight varies as it is dependent on a prior risk assessment of each removal operation carried out by the Garda National Immigration Bureau and on the policy of the particular airline. Given the large number of removal operations, it would involve a disproportionate use of Garda time and resources to provide details of the exact escort numbers used in each case. However it is usual for two escorts to accompany a single deportee with a lower ratio used where more than one person is being removed to the same destination and on board charter flights.

There are two main categories of repatriation charter flights. Smaller charters that are organised to remove disruptive deportees that commercial airlines will not take on account of previous disruptive behaviour on board aircraft and bigger charters organised to return larger numbers of deportees in a more efficient way than using scheduled flights. It should be stated that Ireland does not have direct flights to the destinations where these charters have taken place. The alternative to chartering is transiting through hub European airports involving longer transfer times, more inconvenience to deportees and the attendant risk of deportees absconding in transit.

Charter flights, including joint charters shared by two or more countries, are used widely across the European Union as an effective and efficient means of returning persons, following individual consideration of their cases, who illegally present on the territories of member states. The European Council of Ministers adopted a decision in April 2004 facilitating the greater use of joint repatriation flights as a means of demonstrating solidarity among member states, increasing the rate of returns and making more effective use of resources.

Ireland has carried out two such joint operations, one with the Netherlands to Romania and Bulgaria on 28 November 2003 and one with the UK to Romania and Moldova on 18 November 2003, details of which are provided in the following table.

It is well established that an effective deportation process is a necessary element of an immigration system. The lack of an effective means to deport persons not granted permission to remain in the State would call into question the integrity of the entire immigration and asylum laws. Failure to enforce deportation orders in the case of disruptive behaviour would produce two main outcomes. First, it would send a clear signal that deportation can be avoided by simply being disruptive. Second, disruptive behaviour by deportees on scheduled flights would become the norm leading to concerns for the safety of passengers and staff on aircraft and cause further difficulties for the gardaí in the already problematic task of enforcing deportation orders.