Written answers
Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
Asylum Applications
10:00 pm
Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 510: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, further to Parliamentary Question No. 522 of 8 November 2005, the number of persons who entered here on or before 31 December 2002, those who applied for asylum here, those who have been refused both recognition as refugees and leave to remain here on any other ground and whose current presence here, whether pending appeal or judicial review, or both, or following upon unsuccessful appeal or review, is accordingly irregular. [35656/05]
Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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It is not possible to state the total number of foreign nationals who entered the State on or before 31 December 2002. However, the number who entered and claimed asylum in the six years before 31 December 2002 are shown in the following table.
| Year of application | Number of asylum applications |
| 2002 | 11,634 |
| 2001 | 10,325 |
| 2000 | 10,938 |
| 1999 | 7,724 |
| 1998 | 4,626 |
| 1997 | 3,883 |
| 1996 | 1,179 |
The number of persons granted or refused refugee status in the State during the years 2002 to 2005 are shown in the following table.
| Year of decision | Decision to grant | Decision to refuse |
| 2005 (31 October) | 977 | 4,684 |
| 2004 | 1,155 | 7,560 |
| 2003 | 1,236 | 5,313 |
| 2002 | 1,839 | 5,992 |
A person whose application for asylum has been refused by the Minister is one of nine categories of persons in respect of whom a deportation order can be made. The total number of cases considered for deportation under section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1999, as amended, during the years 2002 to 2005 and the results thereof are shown in the table below. The majority of these cases involved refused asylum seekers.
| Year of decision | Number of deportation orders made | Temporary leave to remain granted in the section 3(6) context |
| 2005 (31 October) | 1,518 | 103 |
| 2004 | 2,915 | 207* |
| 2003 | 2,411 | 86 |
| 2002 | 2,430 | 158 |
| * The 2004 figure differs from one previously supplied because of updated data transfer to new information management system. |
There are in the order of 6,500 persons evading deportation orders or Dublin II transfer orders whose whereabouts are unknown to the Garda National Immigration Bureau. However, it is believed most of these have already left the State. In so far as any of these are still in the State, their presence is illegal and they are subject to arrest and detention for the purposes of removal.
There are 596 persons with deportation orders who have ongoing judicial proceedings either before the High or Supreme Courts. The removal of these persons from the State is suspended in the interim.
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