Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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497. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding an application for naturalisation in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2547/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person concerned was received in the Citizenship Section of my Department in March, 2008.

I considered the application in April, 2011 and decided to defer making a final decision in this case for 18 months. The person concerned was notified of this decision in a letter issued on 18 May, 2011.

Processing has recommenced on the application with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation, such as good character and lawful residence, and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible.

The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.