Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
625. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the process that applies where an individual has been refused permission to remain in the State, including the steps taken from the point of refusal to deportation or voluntary return. [32187/26]
View answer627. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department maintains oversight of individuals who have been refused permission to remain in the State but have not yet been deported, including where such individuals are residing; and the monitoring arrangements, if any, are in place. [32189/26]
View answer628. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of individuals refused permission to remain in the State in each of the last five years; the number subsequently deported; the number remaining in the State; and if he is aware of the location of each of these individuals. [32190/26]
View answer629. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he receives regular reports on the status of individuals who have been refused permission to remain in the State but remain present in the State; and if so, the nature and frequency of such reports. [32191/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 625, 627, 628 and 629 together.
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.
In relation to permission to remain in the context of international protection, an applicant makes only one application under the single procedure. All grounds for seeking international protection (refugee status and subsidiary protection) as well as permission to remain are determined in this one process. This is known as a first-instance decision, or first-instance recommendation.
The International Protection Office (IPO) makes first instance recommendations in respect of international protection (refugee status and subsidiary protection) as well as decisions on permission to remain.
All applicants refused international protection have a right to appeal to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) who must then consider if the earlier International Protection Office (IPO) determinations on refugee status and subsidiary protection should be affirmed (refused) or set aside (granted).
Applicants who have had their appeal for international protection refused are entitled to submit a request to review their permission to remain to the IPO where their circumstances have changed since their first instance recommendation.
If successful, they will be granted permission to remain in Ireland. If the permission to remain review is refused the persons may have the option of voluntary return, which if not accepted will in the normal course lead to the making of a deportation order. The only barrier to that course of action is the provisions of section 50 of the International Protection Act 2015 on the prohibition of refoulement.
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.
If a person does not remove themselves from the State following the issuance of a deportation order, they will be removed. A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State, and the enforcement of a deportation order is an operational matter for the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).
Each deportation order is accompanied by a letter or notice that informs the person of their obligations and requirements, including the obligation to present to the GNIB at a particular time and date. Other requirements are outlined in the letter, such as the requirement to reside at their address pending their removal and the requirement to co-operate with the GNIB and produce any travel document to facilitate their removal from the State.
My Department works closely with the GNIB to progress arrangements for the removal of people subject to deportation orders.
Any person who is the subject to a deportation order is ineligible for social assistance payments and a range of other public services such as accommodation.
It is the case that a significant number of individuals who were subject to deportation orders have left the State without notifying the relevant authorities; however, as there are no routine exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to definitely provide the number of people who have or have not complied with an order. I am, however, informed that the GNIB has reviewed a large sample of cases of people subject to deportation orders; their inquiries suggest a very significant number of these individuals have left the State.
Table 1 below details the number deportation orders which have been signed in respect of people who have been refused International Protection (IP) in 2024, 2025 and up to 31 March 2026.
Table 1. Deportation orders signed from 2020 to 01 May 2026
|
Year |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 (up to 01 May) |
|
Deportation orders signed |
598 |
33 |
549 |
859 |
2,403 |
4,700 |
1,513 |
*Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
Table 2. Deportation Enforcement 2020 to 01 May 2026
|
Year |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 (up to 01 May) |
|
Enforced Deportations |
42 |
5 |
24 |
51 |
134 |
185 |
96 |
|
Removed by Charter |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
182 |
62 |
|
Otherwise Confirmed Deportation (1) |
97 |
33 |
93 |
28 |
28 |
67 |
21 |
|
Total Deportations |
139 |
38 |
117 |
79 |
162 |
434 |
179 |
|
Other Removals (2) |
40 |
46 |
39 |
24 |
26 |
61 |
52 |
|
Number of Voluntary Returns |
201 |
132 |
91 |
215 |
934 |
1,616 |
497 |
|
Total Removed |
380 |
216 |
247 |
318 |
1,122 |
2,111 |
728 |
*Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
** During the COVID- 19 Pandemic there was a moratorium on deportations. This was effective during the latter part of 2020, 2021 and for the first 8 months of 2022. During the moratorium only people who whose presence in Ireland would be contrary to the public interest were deported. This moratorium was lifted in July 2022.
*** A deportation order effected in any year may relate to an order signed in a previous year.
1. Otherwise confirmed deportations is where it has been confirmed a person has left the state following receipt of a deportation order without being escorted.
2. Other removals include Dublin III Transfer Orders of International Protection applicants to another EU State and EU Removal Orders for the return of EU Citizens under the Free Movement Regulations (these orders are made on grounds of criminality) and people who are deemed inadmissible under the International Protection Act.
