Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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6. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of naturalisation applications received in each year from 2020 to 2024, inclusive; the current average processing times for naturalisation applications; the measures being taken by his Department to further reduce application processing times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36655/25]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Last week, I was delighted to attend the citizenship ceremonies, along with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins. We welcomed more than 7,500 new Irish citizens. My Department is commitment to providing the best possible service to the customers of our citizenship division. We have taken significant steps to speed up the process for applicants. The steps have included the introduction of an online digital application and e-vetting. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are dramatically reducing the times. The median processing time for a decision on application in 2024 was eight months. This is a significant improvement in processing times, which were 15 months in 2023, 19 months in 2022 and 24 months in 2021. There has been a significant step change in the process.

The number of naturalisation applications received by the Department in 2020 was 10,807. By 2023, that had increased to 22,690 and in 2024, we saw 27,032 applications. Despite this substantial increase in applications being received in recent years, the fact that our processing times have significantly reduced is a huge credit to the work of staff in the Department's citizenship division. I thank them for that. The division has gone from processing approximately 12,000 applications per year to processing more than 20,000 per year. I expect that going forward the majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year. It is important to note, however, that no two naturalisation applications are the same. Some take longer to process than others.

Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is clear that the volume of applications has greatly increased over the last five years while processing times continue to fall year on year. This is very encouraging. The work of the Minister and his Department must be acknowledged in this regard. I appreciate that the Minister of State may not have the figures at hand. Does he have an indication of the likely number of applications in 2025? Is the number received in the first half of this year higher than the number received in 2024? If application numbers continue to rise, as the figures suggest, will the Minister give any consideration to further upgrading the citizenship application portal or appointing additional staff in the citizenship division?

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Based on the trend in recent years, we probably will see either sustained or small increases in the number of applications. We are always looking at how the system works to try to make it work better and ensure people have a speedy response to their request. If we are looking at increased numbers, we will look at how we are handling and processing applications.

It is important to mention again that we have already made substantial investment into the system. We have significantly reduced the average time an application takes, while at the same time handling a significant increase in the numbers. I make this point again because for some individuals there is frustration. I am sure they have raised with the Deputy, as some have raised with me, why individual applications can take longer than the times I am giving. That is sometimes beyond our control and may involve seeking additional information on a particular application. However, every effort is made with every application to make sure the process is as fast and smooth as possible for the individual.

Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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We recently saw over 7,500 people conferred with Irish citizenship at ceremonies in Killarney. While this is a joyous step on their journey of becoming an Irish citizen, we have seen instances where certificates of naturalisation have taken considerable time to arrive following the ceremony. Unfortunately, this can cause undue problems for the applicants when applying for a passport or seeking to pay third level fees ahead of an upcoming academic year. Can the Minister of State advise on the current waiting time to receive a certificate of naturalisation after attending a naturalisation ceremony and the actions being taken by the Department to ensure that these times are kept to a minimum?

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge there is a gap between the ceremony and the receipt of certificate. We are working on trying to tighten up and make sure the process involves as short a wait as possible.

To deal with the issues the Deputy quite rightly raises as regards the impact this can have on some individuals, the primary allocation of resources was into shortening the time for people to receive their citizenship. We will continuously look at this to ensure that the processing time for people to receive a certificate from the date on which they have their ceremony to the date on which they get their certificate is monitored and that people do not experience the type of issues the Deputy has mentioned.