Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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588. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the total number of deportation orders issued to individuals under the age of 18 in 2022, 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025; for a breakdown of the total number, by individual year of age, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32027/25]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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589. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of individuals under the age of 18 who are currently in the State and subject to a deportation order, with a breakdown by individual year of age, and the average length of time since arrival in Ireland for each age group, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32028/25]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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590. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the top five countries of origin of children who have been issued deportation orders in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32029/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 588, 589 and 590 together.

I can assure the Deputy, that my officials aim to process families in a holistic manner and the consideration of a child’s immigration case is highly dependent on the status of their parents. Each child’s circumstances are examined in detail before a deportation order is made. If deportation orders are made against a family, the parents are informed of this and are required to engage with Gardaí to make arrangements to leave Ireland.

I recognise that an enforced removal is an unfortunate and challenging experience for a child, which is why they are carried out only as a measure of last resort when the family concerned has not removed themselves from the State. I can advise the Deputy that children have only been returned as part of family units. The children and their mothers were not detained in advance of their removal.

The preferred option is to return people voluntarily and my Department operates a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order. This programme offers families a reintegration grant to help them resettle in their home countries.

People are strongly encouraged to avail of this option, and are informed of this option at each stage of the International Protection process.

I can advise the Deputy, that the length of time a child has been residing in Ireland is given careful consideration before a deportation order is made. However, this information is not recorded in a manner which allows for the extraction of the average time a child was present in Ireland before a deportation order was made against them. While a child’s known or reported date of entry is recorded on their individual records, establishing an average time would require a manual examination of each individual’s record. Such an examination would be voluminous in nature, require a significant amount of staff time and resources and could not be warranted.

The table below details number of deportation orders issued against children under the age of 18 in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (up to 31 May 2025).

*Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.

As there are no routine exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to accurately provided the number of children who are currently in Ireland subject to deportation orders. While over 20 children subject to deportation orders are confirmed to have left the State during this period, it should be noted that many will have left the State as part of their family group without being escorted.

Additionally, there may be some children who have had their deportation orders revoked in this period. Section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 provides the grounds under which a deportation order may be revoked. My Department receives submissions from individuals and families seeking that this provision be invoked. In assessing such submissions, consideration is given to whether there is compelling new information or material changes in circumstances which were not previously put forward, nor capable of being put forward, when the original decision was made.

The main grounds advanced relate to the extent to which an individual has established family, employment and other connections here. All submissions are carefully assessed including in the context of any rights arising is carried out in each instance. An order may also be revoked on technical grounds where a person has been readmitted to the international protection process and permitted to remain in Ireland during that process.

It has not been possible to collate information regarding the number of deportation orders revoked in respect of children in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly when this information is to hand.

I can advise the Deputy that the top countries of origin for children who have become the subject of deportation orders in 2023 were Albania and Georgia; in 2024 it was Georgia, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil and Albania; and 2025 to 31 May 2025 it has been Nigeria, Georgia, Brazil, South Africa and Afghanistan. In the case of orders issued to Afghan nationals, these are cases where there has been a lack of co-operation with the International Protection Process, such as when a person does not attend interviews or make representations that they and their family should be granted permission to remain in Ireland. In cases, where there is a lack of co-operation, there is no alternative but to make a deportation order once an application is refused.

I can advise the Deputy that all of the information sought regarding the top nationalities for each of the years requested cannot be provided as a person may be identifiable by releasing such information. My Department does not release information regarding nationalities of less than 5 people to protect the privacy of the people concerned.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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591. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the access to legal advice and interpretation services provided to individuals detained in prison prior to enforced deportation by chartered flight in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32030/25]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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592. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether protocols or standard operating procedures are in place to govern the provision of legal advice and interpretation services to individuals detained prior to deportation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32031/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 591 and 592 together.

A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State, and is issued after the person is offered, but does not avail of voluntary return. Any person who has been ordered to leave the State within the timeframe issued with the deportation order, and fails to do so is committing a criminal offence, and can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána. Such an order remains on the person’s record permanently, unless revoked by the Minister for Justice – it means they may not enter Ireland again in future.

The Legal Aid Board provides confidential and independent legal services to applicants for International Protection.

Individuals who are detained prior to deportation by the Irish Prison Service are provided with avenues to communicate to their legal representatives; access to consular services from their country of origin are also facilitated. Interpreter services are offered as required and translation of correspondence is provided by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.

I would like to reassure the Deputy that enforced removals are carried out as a measure of last resort, when the person concerned has not removed themselves from the State. It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily. It is for this reason my Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order.

The enforcement of deportation orders is an operational matter for the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). Prior to any removal members of GNIB conduct a risk assessment for the safety of those travelling. In addition to Garda personnel, medical staff accompanied the returnees on a charter flight. A person who is the subject of a deportation order may be held in detention for up to 56 days for the purpose of ensuring their deportation from the State. An application to extend this period of detention must be made to the District Court.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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593. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number and roles of professionals present on board, including medical staff, child protection professionals, psychological or trauma support personnel, independent observers, and Gardaí or private security contractors, for each of the deportation flights carried out to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32032/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively.

A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State. Any person who has been ordered to leave the State and fails to do so, within the timeframe issued with the deportation order, is committing a criminal offence and can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána. Such an order remains on the person’s record permanently, unless revoked – it means they may not enter Ireland again in future.

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 2,113 deportation orders have been signed up to 13 June 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 939 persons have had their departure confirmed through these pathways up to 13 June 2025.

So far in 2025, three charter flight operations have removed 106 people who were subject to deportation orders from the State with a further 58 removed on commercial airlines. Further charter operations and removals on commercial aircraft will be conducted as the year progresses.

No officials from my Department have travelled with these charter flights. The operational management of all escorted removals, including charters, are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB); this includes issues related to child safety.

I can assure the Deputy that significant planning and consideration is given to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the people being removed. Prior to any removal, members of GNIB conduct a risk assessment for the safety of those travelling. In addition to Garda personnel, the returnees on the three charter flights were accompanied by two medical staff - a doctor and an advanced paramedic. A flight manager was also present on each flight to liaise with the ground handling operation in Dublin and the destination.

I can also advise the Deputy, that my Department has secured the services of independent Human Rights Observers. An Observer was on board both flights to Georgia. For the charter flight to Nigeria the Observer was present in Dublin Airport to monitor the operation prior to departure of the charter flight on 04 June 2025 and meet with returnees including the families concerned. However, due to technical reasons outside the control of my Department, the Observer was not able to accompany the flight to Lagos. The Observer has been debriefed by a nominated Garda escort on the operation of the flight.

I recognise that an enforced removal can be a challenging experience, particularly for families, which is why they are carried out as a measure of last resort, when the person or family concerned has not removed themselves from the State. I can advise the Deputy that children have only been returned as part of family units. The children and their mothers were not detained in advance of their removal.

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. People are strongly encouraged to avail of this option when offered and are informed of it at each stage of the International Protection process or in other circumstances where is likely that they will be the subject of a Deportation Order.