Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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1594. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of flights facilitating deportation that have taken place in the last 12 months; the number he anticipates to take place by the end of 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20050/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is a central priority for me that our immigration laws are robust and enforced. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that our people have confidence in the application of our laws in this area.

It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily and my Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order. It is important to note that a person can only avail of voluntary return before a deportation order is issued.

My Department has taken action to significantly improve immigration enforcement measures and increase removals. The number of deportation orders signed in 2024 (2,403) increased by 180% compared to 2023 (857). This year 1,386 deportation orders have been signed up to 25 April 2025. Last year, 1,116 people departed from the State under various mechanisms (i.e. enforced deportation, voluntary return etc.), an increase of 252% compared to 2023 (317). This year 556 persons have had their departure confirmed through these pathways up to 25 April 2025.

I can advise the Deputy that on 27 February 2025, a chartered flight to Georgia resulted in the removal of 32 people from the State who were subject to deportation orders. This is the first charter operation conducted under a new contract signed last November by the State for the provision of a charter service. These flights are used by many states for deportation purposes; they allow states the possibility to remove multiple individuals to either a single or multiple destinations and are a necessary and regular component of an effective removals process. Further operations are being planned and will be conducted as the year progresses, it would not be appropriate to comment on the exact timeframes for subsequent operations. In addition to using charter aircraft, commercial aircraft are used to enforce deportation orders. So far in 2025, 40 deportation orders have been enforced using commercial flights.