Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 290: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the cost of deportations in each of the past five years; the number of persons deported in each year; the estimates in this area for 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12908/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The deportation costs provided below refer to the removal from the State of illegal immigrants, persons whose asylum applications were refused or persons whose applications for asylum were transferred to another country under the Dublin Convention/Dublin II Regulations. The vast majority of the removals involved persons whose asylum applications were refused.

Set out below are the costs for the last five years of the removal of persons subject to either deportation or (Dublin II Regulation) transfer orders, by scheduled/commercial and charter flights and, in very limited circumstances for some Dublin II Regulation based removals, ferries. These figures include the travel costs relating to the deportees/transferees and their Garda escorts.

The Deputy might wish to note that the figures above do not include the cost of overtime or subsistence payments for Garda escorts.

The deportation of failed asylum seekers and other illegal immigrants is costly, particularly in the case of removals to distant countries such as Nigeria, China etc. In most cases removals are carried out using commercial flights, which usually involves transit through other European airports as Ireland does not have direct flights to most of the countries of return. In addition, most flights have to be booked at short notice, near to the date of departure, which involves higher costs than if booked well in advance. However, such costs must be looked at in tandem with the considerable expense arising from the continued presence in the State of persons who have no valid basis for being in the State. Such costs would include accommodation and social welfare costs as well as detention costs in certain cases. While it is important to keep deportation costs to a minimum, to not remove persons who have no valid basis for being in the State would call into question the integrity of the entire asylum and immigration systems. This would leave this State open to further illegal immigration and even greater expense to taxpayers.

The numbers of persons deported and 'transferred' in each of the last five years is as follows:

It is not possible to accurately estimate the numbers of persons who will be removed from the State in 2009. Neither is it possible to estimate accurately what the financial costs in this area might be in 2009. However, the Deputy can be assured that my Department will continue to work in close collaboration with the Garda National Immigration Bureau towards the enforcement of deportation or transfer orders where such orders have been signed and served. Equally, my Department will continue to arrange deportations and Dublin II Regulation transfers in the most cost effective manner possible including the use of charter flights where this is considered to be most effective. My Department will also continue to work in co-operation with other EU Member States, through the EU-wide FRONTEX network, to carry out joint deportation operations to destinations of shared interest.