Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 202: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 364 of 20 October 2009, the cost of deportations annually since 2005 to date in 2010; the cost of the ten most expensive individual deportations annually since 2005 to date in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24820/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The deportation costs provided below refer to the removal from the State of illegal immigrants and persons whose asylum applications were refused. The vast majority of the removals involved persons whose asylum applications were refused.

Set out below are the costs, from 2005 up to 31 March 2010, of the removal of persons subject to Deportation Orders, by scheduled and charter flights. These figures include the travel costs relating to the deportees 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.

My Department deports persons to non - European Economic Area (EEA) countries. To identify the ten most expensive deportations would involve a disproportionate use of resources in disaggregating those individual costs from the cost figures quoted above. During the period in question however, notwithstanding the foregoing, the single most expensive deportation involved the removal of a Ghanaian man on 11 March 2008 at a cost of €151,900. In this case, attempts to remove the man by scheduled flight were unsuccessful due to his violent reaction to his deportation. For safety reasons he was subsequently removed by charter flight.

In considering the costs of deportations, the considerable expense arising from the continued presence in the State of persons who are the subject of deportation orders has to be taken into account. These costs include social welfare costs, direct provision costs, and detention costs in certain cases. While it is important to keep deportation costs to a minimum, not to remove persons refused permission to remain in the State would call into question the integrity of the entire immigration system. This would leave this country open to further illegal immigration and even more expense to taxpayers.