Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

That has not been brought to my attention heretofore. I will have it changed as quickly as possible. However, all the applicants know the information required, and they would be told clearly on application. As I stated, ultimately we must get the checks from the Garda, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and from other agencies, and this normally creates the delay in the application.

At the same time people must accept that citizenship is not something that can be given out willy-nilly. The giving of citizenship of our country to somebody is a privilege. We must ensure that these people have loyalty and fidelity to, and are not a burden on, the State when they become naturalised. It is only fair. Any examination of systems in other countries, I would hazard a guess, would show the process takes even longer than in Ireland.

On the investment in Tipperary, I visited the decentralised office in Tipperary which has new technology and software available. It is able to make the decisions, and to return queries to persons who have applied, ever more quickly.

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