Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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118. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons refused leave to land or permission to enter here at the Border with Northern Ireland; the nationalities of each between, May 2014 and May 2015, and from May 2015 and May 2016; the reason the data was not provided as indicated in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 188 of 31 May 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27146/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I would advise the Deputy that a further written response in relation to his question of 31 May 2016 issued to him on 24 August 2016.

As outlined in that reply, there are no systematic immigration checks undertaken at the border with Northern Ireland. In general, a person may be refused permission to enter the State on one or more of the eleven grounds set out in Section 4(3) of the Immigration Act 2004. Every person refused leave to land in the State is served with a notice in which the reason, or reasons, for refusing an application to enter the State is set out. Persons refused leave to land and who are subsequently removed from the State are returned to their point of embarkation, which in most cases is within the EU.

In the period May 2014 to May 2015 a total of 167 persons are recorded as being refused permission to enter the State at the land border. The main nationalities concerned were China, Nigeria, Pakistan, India and Somalia.

In the period May 2015 to May 2016, 300 persons were refused permission to enter the State at the land border. The main nationalities concerned were China, Pakistan, Nigeria, India and the Philippines.

It should be noted that information on numbers refused permission to enter the State may be subject to revision over time where individual cases are examined further and the status of some cases may change.