More than 60 per cent of deportation orders issued in Ireland between November 1999 and June 2005 have been evaded, the latest Comptroller and Auditor General report reveals.
During that period the Minister for Justice signed 10,813 deportation orders, but some 6,300 cases are classified in the Department's records as "evaded". These are cases where the deportation has not been effected, and the case is not being actively pursued.
C&AG John Purcell found that only 23 per cent of deportation orders issued had been enforced.
This represents a total of 2,275 individuals who were either deported or left the State before enforcement.
In his annual report for 2004, Mr Purcell said the accounting officer for the Department of Justice was of the view that the overall average of orders enforced since November 1999 compared favourably with international experience.
In the cases of 1,236 individuals where orders remain to be enforced, 20 per cent have been "stalled" due to Irish-born child applications, while 10 per cent await the outcome of judicial review proceedings. More than half of the cases, however, are awaiting enforcement, the report says.
The C&AG's audit found that significant delays between the date of application for asylum and the interview with the Refugee Applications Commissioner to determine eligibility was contributing to the delay in processing applications.
He also pinpointed delays in translating questionnaires, which applicants were required to complete for the commissioner. These ranged from six days to almost two years and averaged around eight months, the report said.
The report also highlighted widespread failure by applicants to attend scheduled interviews with the commissioner despite repeated written reminders.
