ONE IN five people deported from Ireland since the start of 2010 were children, according to the latest available figures from the Department of Justice.
Up until December 9th, 2010, a total of 288 people were deported from Ireland; 56 were non-Irish citizens under the age of 18.
This compares to 69 children who were deported last year, while 73 children were deported in 2008. It is Government policy not to deport children without their parents.
Some 60 per cent of those who were deported thus far this year were from Nigeria, with 171 persons deported to a west African state.
A further 44 people were deported to Georgia, while the other 73 individuals were deported to Moldova, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, China, Kosovo, Mauritius, Albania, Ghana, India, Ivory Coast, USA, Algeria, Croatia, DR Congo, Israel, Kenya, Sudan, Bangladesh, El Salvador and Sierra Leone.
The 2010 figures mark a slight decrease in the number of deportations that took place in the State in 2009, when 291 people were deported.
Up until December 9th, the cost of deportations that occurred in the State stood at €861,617, including the cost of chartering aircraft.
However, over half of these costs are due to be refunded as three of the charters were flights which were co-financed by the EU through the European Returns fund.
Two charter flights to Nigeria which departed on April 28th and October 28th will see an average of just over a quarter of a million euro being refunded to the Government, while a charter flight to Georgia on November 17th will see a refund of €43,300 under the European Returns fund.
When these refunds are taken into account, the total cost of deportations to the State up until December 9th was €308,527.