Major fall in number of people deported

The number of people deported from the country fell significantly last year, according to new figures.

Data from the Department of Justice shows 140 deportation orders were carried out last year — down from 428 deportations in 2016.

The number of people denied entry to Ireland has also fallen dramatically. Figures show that, for the top 10 nationalities, the number of refusals to ‘leave to land’ in 2017 stood at 1,148 — down from 3,951 the previous year.