Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan was told to emphasise the “nous and soft skills” of gardaí as controversy flared over the deportation of families and young children from Ireland.
In a briefing on the removal of school-going kids to Nigeria, the minister was told that families could have avoided this outcome and returned voluntarily to their country.
A Q&A prepared for Mr O’Callaghan said he was “very conscious” of questions over whether Irish people would be comfortable with the enforced removal of Irish-born children.
When asked about it, a suggested answer for him said: “It’s one of the reasons that we are very lucky to have people in An Garda Siochana with the nous and the soft skills to manage what can be a difficult human experience for all the people concerned.”
The details were contained in a series of briefings for the Justice Minister on how to tackle tricky questions about expensive deportation charter flights to Nigeria and Georgia.
A Q&A sheet prepared for Mr O’Callaghan said he should also be prepared for questions on whether the three charter flights – which together have cost at least €530,000 – were just for “optics.”
On how to respond, the minister was told: “Forced deportations like these are the last option, not the first.”
If asked about whether it was a good use of scarce garda resources, Mr O’Callaghan was advised to emphasise how such operations needed to be done safely and with “respect for the dignity” of those removed.
The Q&A said: “This may well be a difficult experience for the people being deported, which may include families with young children.”
On value for money issues, the minister was given vague talking points that suggested costs were “relatively comparable” to removals on commercial flights.
One suggested answer said: “No specific cost benefit analysis was carried out for the resumption of the use of charters.”