John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

Recent cases concerning delays in the processing of long-term residency permit applications have been brought to my attention. In one case, a girl from my area has been six years resident in Ireland which allows her to apply for a long-term residency permit. When she made her application, she was informed it would take two years to process. It is unacceptable that a person, as in this case, who has given a long-term commitment to the country and has resided in it for the 60 months necessary must then wait a further 24 months before her application is processed. It is unfair and unjust.

If the Government wants to be a little more fair, it could allow applicants to apply after three years of residency in order that the application could be processed in a timely manner. I urge the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the backlog in this area is addressed as soon as possible. I assume it is down to a lack of manpower in the Department to deal with these applications. I hope whatever changes to staffing arrangements are needed will be made.

Those who have made the application legitimately and meet the criteria as laid down by the Department should have their applications for long-term residency permits dealt with in a speedy manner. After asking people to put their lives on hold for five years and be resident in the country in order to be eligible for a residency permit, it is unfair to ask them to do so for a further two years while their applications are being processed. This is disgraceful. It appears to come down to just the matter of resources. While I accept resources are scarce at this time, we are dealing with people's lives, not just the applicants but their friends, loved ones and families. Will the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, inform the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform of the frustrations I, and many people in the process, are experiencing with the administrative backlog?