James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the important matter of the measures undertaken by the Department to reduce citizenship application processing times in particular in respect of applications submitted in 2021 and 2022. My Department is focused on improving the naturalisation process for applicants and reducing the backlog of cases as soon as possible. Additional staff have been assigned and services are being digitised and streamlined. Thanks to these measures, the number of cases processed has increased by more than 30% against pre-pandemic figures. Further digitisation is in train, which is making the application process more user-friendly and efficient.

To date in 2023, a decision has been made on 7,643 adult applications and 3,956 minor applications, with 9,723 certificates of naturalisation having issued. Of the cases on hand, 4,210 have received a positive decision and are now in the process of making their final payment or being scheduled to attend a ceremony. Insofar as applications made in 2021 and 2022 are concerned, of the 11,974 applications received in 2021, 9,185 applicants have received a decision to date along with 4,074 of the 17,177 applications from 2022.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that as a result of the significant measures being taken to improve processing rates, the vast majority of the outstanding applications from 2021 and 2022 are now in the final stages of processing. These applications are being prioritised for conclusion, although I should note that each individual application is potentially different and therefore some may take longer to process than others. In parallel with the measures being taken to improve processing, the Deputy will be glad to know that more of the very successful citizenship ceremonies are being held this year, with ten having taken place so far and an additional seven planned for December. I regard these welcoming occasions as an essential contribution to celebrating difference and diversity in our country.

See this speech in context