Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the procedures that are in place to effect the removal of a parent and their children from the jurisdiction in situations where the children are in the care of the Health Service Executive and the parent is the subject of a Deportation Order and in cases where children have been removed from the jurisdiction in such circumstances; and the number of children that have spent some time in care apart from their parents prior to deportation in each of the past ten years. [9358/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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In arriving at repatriation related decisions, all reasonable steps are taken to have families kept together so that they are all repatriated at the same time, thus preserving the family unit. I would see no reason to depart from such a policy. In situations where a parent and children are not co-operating with the deportation process, or the parent is being detained whilst awaiting removal, children older than infants are placed in the temporary care of the HSE to enable the repatriation of the family together. My Department does not maintain records of the numbers of children cared for by the HSE in such situations.