Asylum Applications.

Thursday, 1 April 2004

Questions (132)

Joe Costello

Question:

132 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of asylum seekers who have been issued with deportation orders in each month since January 2002; the number who have Irish born children issued with deportation orders in each month since January 2002; the number of persons affected by the issue of deportation orders in each month since January 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10336/04]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell)

I should say at the outset that asylum seekers have a right of temporary residence in the State while their applications are being processed and are not considered for deportation unless their applications are refused or they are transferred to another EU State pursuant to the Dublin Convention to have their asylum applications processed there.

Section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1999, as amended, allows the Minister to make deportation orders in respect of nine categories of person. These include asylum seekers who have failed in their applications or asylum seekers whose applications are being transferred under the Dublin Convention. Separate statistics in relation to the different categories are not maintained by my Department but the vast majority of deportations are in respect of failed asylum seekers.

Irish born children are not deported from the State but usually accompany their parents, who themselves are the subject of deportation orders, back to their countries of origin. The statistics requested are as follows:

Month	Year	Number of parents of Irish born children deported
July	2002	2
February	2003	2
April	2003	1
May	2003	4
July	2003	4
August	2003	4
September	2003	1
October	2003	1
February	2004	2
March	2004	4

The number of deportation orders made together with the number of deportation orders effected by the Garda National Immigration Bureau in 2002, 2003 and to date in 2004 is as follows:

Orders made and effected during 2002

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Orders made	317	249	280	166	172	249	242	209	133	62	186	50
Orders effected	29	58	74	35	42	44	68	39	52	27	26	27

Orders made and effected during 2003

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Orders made	204	102	69	106	203	50	231	81	210	360	374	46
Orders effected	53	51	43	26	49	38	51	47	40	66	77	49

Orders made and effected from 1 Jan 2004 — 31 March 2004

	Jan 2004	Feb 2004	to 31 March 2004
Orders made	348	166	69
Orders effected	38	108	72