Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
537. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in respect of the 2,272 cases processed under the accelerated border procedure to date, the number of deportation orders issued, the number of enforced removals carried out, the number of voluntary returns; and the number of cases still awaiting removal following a final negative decision. [53020/26]
View answer538. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in respect of the 2,272 cases processed under the accelerated border procedure to date, the primary reasons for the gap between orders issued and persons actually removed, including the proportion attributable to judicial review proceedings, appeals, absence of travel documentation, and lack of origin-country cooperation on readmission. [53021/26]
View answer539. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in respect of the 2,272 cases processed under the accelerated border procedure to date, the average and longest time elapsed between a deportation order being signed and actual removal from the State; and the estimated cost per case of operating the accelerated procedure, including detention, legal aid, and processing costs, compared with the standard procedure [53022/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 537 to 539, inclusive, together.
In 2025, in preparation for the introduction of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum on June 12, 2026, the Department agreed to frontload elements of the EU Pact Border Procedure and transition gradually to ensure readiness for new timelines required under the Pact. This transition programme was initiated on 7 July 2025 and ran up to 8 May 2026 under the International Protection Act 2015. From 12 June 2026, all new asylum applications are now being processed in line with the International Protection Act 2026 and the EU regulations.
During the transition period, all asylum applicants from the then-15 designated safe countries of origin were processed in an accelerated procedure, as well as Dublin III cases and inadmissible cases, comprising those who had begun an application or had status in another EU Member State.
The 15 safe countries of origin were Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, India, Kosovo, Malawi, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Serbia, South Africa.
In total, 2,272 applications were processed during the transition period, of which 1,605 were from designated safe countries of origin under the 2015 Act. The remainder related to Dublin III and inadmissible cases.
89% of first instance decisions were refusals, with the remainder granted refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to remain.
Some 75% of applicants appealed their first-instance decision, and of those with a decision by the end of the transition programme, 89% were refusals.
By 8 May, as part of the transition programme a total of 585 deportation orders were issued, 22 deportations were completed, and 62 people opted for voluntary return. The remainder of cases continued to be processed.
Statistics are not compiled in such a way as to provide the specific data requested by the Deputy on Judicial Reviews and the transition programme. Costs related to the transition programme are also not broken down in a manner described by the Deputy.
The introduction of the Pact means that in the medium to long-term, investment into the international protection system will show a return in the form of decreasing annual costs. There will be improved, faster processing and that will reduce the time an applicant remains in the system thereby reducing significant accommodation and other costs.
