Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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847. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of people who received deportation orders in the past five years; the number of these that have left the country; the proof there is of these people leaving the country; and the number of these who have had their deportation orders enforced. [47894/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is a central priority for me 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 and to ensure that there is confidence in the application of our legislation in this area.

Deportations are costly and complex to enforce. 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. A person can only avail of voluntary return before a deportation order is issued and I have increased resources into this programme to enable persons who wish to return before a deportation order is issued to them.

In 2024, 934 people left Ireland by way of voluntary return. This year 1,140 people have left Ireland by way of voluntary return up to 12 September 2025, which is an increase of 143% compared to the same period in 2024.

The number of deportation orders signed in 2024 (2,403) increased by 180% compared to 2023 (857). This year 2,846 deportation orders have been signed up to 12 September 2025. If a person does not remove themselves from the State following the issuance of a deportation order, they will be removed. So far this year three charter flight operations have removed 106 people who were subject to deportation orders from the State with a further 129 removed on commercial airlines. Further charter operations and removals on commercial aircraft will be conducted as the year progresses. So far in 2025, a total of 1,436 people departed from the State under various mechanisms (i.e. enforced deportation, voluntary return etc.).

As Ireland does not operate routine exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to confirm in all instances that a person has departed. A person is only recorded as being deported when their deportation has been enforced by An Garda Síochána or when officials have been provided with evidence that they have left Ireland. Accordingly, these figures do not take account of individuals whose departure has not been confirmed.

The tables below detail information in relation to deportation in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 up to 12 September 2025.

Table 1. Deportation orders signed from 2020 to 2025

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

Table 2. Deportation Enforcement 2020 to 2025

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

1. Otherwise confirmed deportation is where it has been confirmed the individual has left the state following receipt of a deportation order without being escorted.

While over 300 of the people subject to deportation orders above have confirmed they have left the State independently, since 2020, it is the case that a significantly larger number of individuals who were subject to Deportation Orders have left the State without notifying the relevant authorities.

I am informed that the Garda National Immigration Bureau has reviewed a large sample of cases of persons subject to deportation orders; their inquiries suggest a very significant number of these individuals have left the State.