Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 June 2025
149. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prison or remand places occupied in the past 12 months by individuals detained purely for immigration-related reasons; and the total cost of this to the State. [34908/25]
View answerThe Minister and the Department are acutely aware of capacity restraints in our prisons and have committed to increasing capacity of our prisons by 1,500 under the Programme for Government. This work has already commenced.
It can be necessary to detain people in advance of deportation to prevent absconding. Alternatives to detention are widely used where they are deemed appropriate.
When a person does not comply with a deportation order they can be arrested and detained under Section 5 of the Immigration Act 1999 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.
In the case of a person refused leave to land to enter the State, arrangements are made by the Garda National Immigration Bureau to return the person to their point of embarkation at the earliest opportunity, which may take a number of days. Detention in such circumstances is only undertaken as a last resort.
I can advise the Deputy that in 2024 there were a total of 204 instances of individuals detained for immigration-related reasons in Irish prisons, for various periods within the parameters set out above. To date in 2025, the number is 179. At any point in time the number is far less than the overall annual total.
The total costs of detention for this specific purpose is not available.
