Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the total number of individuals detained in the State pending deportation to date in 2025; the breakdown of the prisons in which they were held, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66424/25]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State. If a person does not remove themselves from the State following the issuance of a deportation order, they will be removed.

This year 4,428 deportation orders have been signed up to 28 November, while 1,909 people have had their departure from the state confirmed. 344 people have been the subject of an enforced deportation.

This year, six charter flight operations have removed 205 people from the State. Of these, five operations to non-EU destinations removed 182 people who were subject to deportation orders and one operation removed 23 EU citizens on grounds of criminality.

Any person who has been ordered to leave the State 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.

A person who is the subject of a deportation order may be detained for up to 56 days for the purpose of ensuring their deportation from the State.

The prescribed places of detention for this purpose are contained in the Immigration Act 1999 (Deportation) Regulations 2005 and are: Castlerea Prison, Cloverhill Prison, Cork Prison, Limerick Prison, Midlands Prison, Mountjoy Prison, and Wheatfield Prison, as well as all Garda Síochána stations. However, not all of these locations are used for this purpose.

I can advise the Deputy that of the 344 individuals whose deportation orders have been enforced by GNIB so far in 2025, 267 were detained prior to deportation. Of this group, 28 had criminal convictions.

I can further advise that of the 267 people who were detained for the purposes of deportation this year up to 28 November, 206 were detained in Cloverhill Prison, 24 in Mountjoy Female Prison, 16 in Cork prison, 10 in Limerick prison, seven in Castlerea Prison, three in Midlands prison and one in Dublin Airport Garda Station.