Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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101. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the funding schemes in place through her Department or through non-Government agencies funded by her Department to give a grant to non-Irish persons who are being repatriated to their own country and who agree to go voluntarily; if such a grant scheme is available in relation to the costs of returning home and the cost of flights; if any other funds are available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2648/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department in conjunction with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) 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 Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme (VARRP). Other illegally present migrants are returned under the Irregular Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme (IVARRP), which is co-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 programmes 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 to 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 €1,000.

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.