Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a bheith linn agus as an cheist seo a ghlacadh. What I am asking for is very straightforward. People have been in touch with me and many of my MLA and MP colleagues. Their main issues relate to the cost involved in applying for naturalisation and the complexity of the process. I appreciate and fully understand that citizenship is very precious, that we need to guard it and ensure that we are not lacklustre in our approach. However, it is important to state that we also need to understand that citizenship should not be the preserve of people who have the financial means or, indeed, the skills to complete what has often been described to me as being a very bureaucratic and complex process. We cannot price people out of citizenship, particularly as Senator O'Loughlin said in her previous Commencement matter, those who are working hard at citizenship. What citizenship brings to our lives is much more than simply a monetary value. It is what people do daily in their communities, families and in all of our lives.

I am sure that the Minister can appreciate that the following are two big problem for applicants. While this is an issue across the entirety of Ireland, the vast bulk of the cases that have been referred to me came from applicants from the Six Counties. One of the issues is the need for a personal public service number, PPSN, which people do not have in the North. One also needs a tax certificate from this jurisdiction, which people in the North do not have. Again, that adds a further layer of complexity and difficulty. It is another way to put people off, in some instances, applying for Irish citizenship, which we should not seek to do.

The thrust of my Commencement matter is to ask the Minister to consider the current scale of the costs. One applicant has told me that the virtual ceremony, to which the Minister referred, cost over £900 and that was just to sit at home for a virtual ceremony. That is a significant sum of money for someone who works in a low-paid job, not least in the context of Covid but at any time.

I ask the Minister to consider reviewing the current application process and to take note of the difficulties people have cited. Within that, I ask her to consider a bespoke arrangement that would pertain to applicants from the Six Counties for similar important forms. Again, I am not being green. I realise that we need to be protective and do things right. I would appreciate if people who are resident in the North could have much easier and quicker access to forms of equal importance than, for example, a PPSN and tax certificate from this State.

Finally, the Minister referenced in response to the earlier Commencement matter the movement towards the new ceremony process, which is welcome with the current restrictions due to Covid. I ask her to reduce the cost to reduce the financial burden on people who already are facing a very difficult time. I thank the Minister for coming in and thank the Acting Chairperson.