Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 February 2005
321 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of court cases challenging deportations which have been or are being taken by the non-national parents of Irish citizen children; the anticipated cost of defending these challenges; and the number of persons against whom such orders have been made and who have not initiated legal proceedings. [3163/05]
View answerBetween 18 July 2003 and 12 October 2004, 384 deportation orders were made in respect of parents of Irish born children, of whom 41 were deported. There are currently a total of 128 cases of judicial review before the courts challenging the making of deportation orders where the principal issue of contention is the right of the State to deport non-national parents of children born in the State.
It is not possible to state the anticipated costs of defending those current challenges. This is because costs can vary significantly from case to case due to the differing issues and complexities involved and the staff costs associated with processing the cases within my Department, the Office of the Chief State Solicitor and the Office of the Attorney General. Furthermore, the issue of costs to the State can only be determined when a case is finalised, either by means of settlement or by way of a court ruling and neither outcome can be predetermined at this stage.
