Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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373. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide an outline of any voluntary repatriation programmes that exist; the budget allocation to such a programme; if she will provide, in tabular form over the past ten years, the number of persons who have availed of such a scheme, per annum, and a total figure for the number of persons who have availed of a scheme; the number of persons who have applied and the countries in respect of which they have applied; the number for each country and-or region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26093/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in conjunction with the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department offers voluntary assisted return and reintegration programmes for asylum seekers, failed asylum seekers and other illegally present migrants.

Asylum seekers or failed asylum seekers who have not had a Deportation Order made against them are returned under the VARRP programme (voluntary assisted return and reintegration programme). Other illegally present migrants are returned under the IVARRP programme (irregular voluntary assisted return and reintegration programme), which is part funded by the EU on a 50/50 basis.

Under these programmes, the flights home for such persons are paid and where required, the IOM will assistin securing travel documents and give assistance at the airport at departure and arrival.

Persons planning to return voluntarily under these programme can apply for reintegration assistance before they depart which they can then access once they have returned to their home country. Irish reintegration assistance is in the form of a payment in kind, for example help starting up a small business, or to revive an existing one, vocational training classes or educational courses. The value of this reintegration assistance for single individuals is up to €600 and for families up to €1000.

To date IOM Ireland has assisted nearly 4,000 migrants to voluntarily return in a dignified and humane manner to 96 countries or origin since the opening of the IOM Dublin office in 2001. The 2015 budget allocation for the VARRP programme is €769,169 (i.e. for the 12 month period from the beginning of January 2015 until the end of December 2015). The IVARRP budget agreed with the EU Commission from the beginning of March 2014 until the end of February 2015 was €771,230. The spend is commensurate with the actual number of persons returned under the schemes.

In addition to the two IOM programmes referred to above, my Department also assists people who are illegally present in the State and wish to return home voluntarily by covering the cost of the flight, if necessary, and assisting in securing travel documents.

Numbers returned over the last 10 years

Top countries of return for the last 3 years