Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1011, 1012, 1013 and 1144 together.

Deportation and removal processes are an essential part of any immigration system.In the past 10 years 10,746 Deportation Orders were issued, this includes people who made unsuccessful applications for international protection and people who entered the country illegally or who may have overstayed after a visa was issued.

The primary reason why forced deportations were not required in a number of cases is that people leave the State without informing the Department and by their nature the details of such departures are not available. There also may be a change in circumstances for the person which leads to the deportation order being revoked and permission granted, for example where there have been significant changes in the family circumstances of the person in question. In other cases there are legal challenges which prevent or lengthen the deportation process or the person may evade deportation.

The below table outlines the number of deportation orders, the numbers revoked and the numbers deported*.

* These figures are correct at time of issue, however, statistics may change due to data cleansing. Orders revoked in any year include orders made over previous years.

Insofar as safe countries of origin are concerned, on foot of the introduction of accelerated processing for countries so designated in November 2022, 160 deportation orders were issued in 2023 under this procedure.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department takes all necessary steps to manage the international protection process efficiently and effectively, while ensuring the integrity of those processes is maintained at all times.

The deportation and removal processes are an essential part of any immigration system. It must be acknowledged that those who do not have a legal right to remain in this country must remove themselves from the State. A person subject to a Deportation Order has no legal basis to remain in the State.

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) is responsible for carrying out of such deportations. However, the numbers of Deportation Orders effected by GNIB does not take account of individuals who have left the State without informing my Department. It is the case that many individuals who are subject to Deportation Orders leave the State without notifying the relevant authorities and this particular category of individual is difficult to quantify. However, the Garda National Immigration Bureau has reviewed a large sample of the cases from last year who were subject to deportation orders. Their inquiries suggest a very significant number of these individuals have left the State.

A total of 857 deportation orders were made in 2023.

As my Department is not responsible for the management of persons residing in international protection accommodation, the number of individuals who were issued deportation orders but remain in such accommodation is not currently formally collated by my Department. There is, however, very close engagement between my Department, the International Protection Accommodation Service of DCEDIY and An Garda Síochána to support the effecting of removals, and in the context of that work I am informed that the current figure is understood to be fewer than 200. This includes persons who are pursuing legal challenges to their removal or some further review of their status is underway, as well as persons whose removal is logistically complex.