Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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1498.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will report on Garda Operation Fern; the number of persons successfully prosecuted under this operation; and if this operation is still active. [31636/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can advise the Deputy, Operation Fern is an ongoing operation targeting persons who are illegally residing in the State and are the subject of Deportation Orders. The Deputy will appreciate that management of the Operation is a matter for the Garda authorities.

A Deportation Order is an order from the Minister for Justice to leave the State. Persons arrested on foot of deportation orders are not charged with an offence or prosecuted but are detained in custody at a place of detention pending their removal from the State. The total number of persons arrested on foot of Deportation Orders as part of Operation Fern between 2 May 2024 and 22 July 2024 is 29.

Prior to the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) acting upon these Deportation Orders, there has been significant engagement with each person by my Department, which includes the offer of a supported voluntary return package to their country of origin. Persons subject to Deportation Orders have declined supported voluntary return and are now illegal in the State.

I am taking a number of actions to improve immigration enforcement, including around the enforcement of deportation orders.

My Department is working closely with the Office of Government Procurement in respect of identifying a commercial partner for the supply of charter flight services for Deportation purposes. The intention is for these services to be available later in the year and will operate alongside the current use of commercial flights for removals.

Additionally, my Department and An Garda Síochána continue to engage intensively on the transfer of certain immigration functions to my Department. This will free-up up to 100 Gardaí for other immigration enforcement work, including deportations.

Earlier this month, the registration of immigration residence permissions for counties Cork and Limerick transferred from An Garda Síochána to my Department. With this transfer, approximately 80% of all national registrations have transferred to my Department. My Department will assume responsibility for registrations nationwide with the transfer expected to be completed within the next 12 months.

The EU Migration Pact will make the returns / deportation system more efficient to operate (e.g. we will send a take back notification to another EU member state, instead of a take back request).