The number of people who have left Ireland by voluntary return this year has increased by 223% compared to last year, according to Minister of State with special responsibility for migration.
Colm Brophy said that in 2024, 934 people left Ireland by way of voluntary return.
He said that this year, up to 27 June, 808 people have left the country by voluntary return.
The Fine Gael TD said since 2020, over 2,300 have left Ireland under the programme.
Last year, he added 615 people were refused international protection status.
He was responding to a question from Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy in the Dáil.
Watch: Minister Brophy says 'vast majority' of those served with deportation order leave
Minister Brophy said having a "firm, fair and effective" system was a central priority for him.
"A person can only avail of a voluntary return programme before the deportation order is actually issued," he said, adding that this option is not offered to those who are convicted of serious criminality.
Mr Brophy said if people receive a final negative decision on their international protection application, they are informed of their option of voluntary return and have five days to indicate if they want to avail of this.
If they do not avail of the option within the allotted time, a deportation order is made against them, the minister said.
Mr Brophy said they have a "clear indication right across Europe" that those who avail of the programme "don’t actually return".
Mr Carthy asked if people who availed of the voluntary return programme last year and this year gave the authorities the appropriate documentation within three days of arriving in their home country.
In response, Mr Brophy said a person must provide officials with documentary evidence that they have left within three days or face a deportation order.
The Sinn Féin TD queried how many people are currently in the State who have received the final negative decision or a deportation order and if the location of people who have received a negative decision, or a deportation order is known.
Mr Brophy said the State does not have an exit system for leaving the country.
"The vast majority of people who are served with a deportation order do actually leave," he said.
He said the indication is that people who are served with this order choose to leave voluntarily.
"The exact tracking of that, which would require a system of having an actual process of registering the exit out of the country, is something that is very difficult to implement when you are operating within the system of a common travel area," he said.
Mr Brophy said this would put a "very onerous burden" on people moving, using the example of people moving between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
