Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
1131. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice the number of instances from 2016 to date in which a deportation order has been issued despite a person indicating their consent to voluntary return in accordance with the exceptions relevant to section 48 of the International Protection Act 2015 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1692/24]
View answerMy Department has a focus on ensuring that persons involved in serious criminality are removed from the State. There is ongoing communication between the Department, the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service and the Garda National Immigration Bureau and IPAS to achieve this objective.
During the pandemic and despite the moratorium on removing persons without permission to be in the State, persons whose presence in Ireland was contrary to the public interest, including on security grounds, were deported.
47 such individuals were removed in 2021.
Since the lifting of the covid-19 controls in 2022, 52 individuals were removed in 2022 while a further 44 were removed in 2023.
The Deputy should note that there have been no cases in which a deportation order has been issued despite a person indicating their consent to voluntary return in accordance with the exceptions relevant to section 48 of the International Protection Act 2015. However there has been one case where it was decided not to exercise discretion to inform by notice a person to whom section 48 (3) applies.
