Vol. 488 No. 6
179 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of deportation orders served in 1998; the grounds on which the asylum applications were refused; and the countries to which the asylum seekers involved would be deported. [6881/98]
A total of 31 deportation orders have been served to date in 1998. There were eight asylum seekers deported in the period 1 January 1998 to 10 March 1998. These were people whose asylum cases were transferred to another state party to the Dublin Convention. Asylum applications are refused where the person fails to meet the definition of a refugee as set out in section 2 of the Refugee Act, 1996. Of the eight people transferred under the Dublin Convention, two were returned to Britain and the remaining six were returned to France. The remaining Dublin Convention cases yet to be transferred include four who are to be returned to Britain; three to France and two to Germany. The countries to which the other persons are to be returned are Cuba, Lebanon, Romania and Russia.
