Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It must be remembered that Irish citizenship is a great privilege and naturalisation is a privilege and not a right. The Minister is under no obligation to grant a certificate of naturalisation. As already stated, the onus is on the applicant to disclose in his or her application all appropriate information and evidence to demonstrate that he or she satisfies the conditions for a certificate of naturalisation, including character. It is incumbent on all applicants to reveal any information pertinent to the application, particularly where a case of dangerous driving is pending and a conviction for careless driving arises subsequently, prior to a decision on the application being made by the Minister. There is no appeals process under the legislation. However, applicants should be aware that they may reapply for the grant of a certificate of naturalisation at any time. When considering making such reapplication, the applicant should have due regard to the reasons for refusal given in the first instance and ensure that all relevant information is provided to the Minister for his consideration. All applications are examined individually and assessed on their own merits. The decision was arrived at following an individualised assessment of the application, having taken into consideration all relevant matters and information. This is particularly the case in this instance, where the adverse consideration is one of which the applicant was already aware.

As I said, the Minister's officials are willing to meet the Senator on this issue.