Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 641: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when an application for Irish citizenship for a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will be processed; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the application for citizenship has been ongoing based on their length of stay since 1991; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19590/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was received in the citizenship section of my Department on 22 January 2004. The average processing time for such applications is 24 months. On the basis of the current average processing time, therefore, it is likely that the application of the individual concerned will be finalised in early 2006. I will inform both the applicant and the Deputy when a decision has been made on the application.

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 642: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason behind the delay of 14 months in reaching decisions on the resident status of foreign nationals married to Irish citizens. [19591/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Applications of the type referred to by the Deputy are dealt with in chronological order, in fairness to all other applicants, and take approximately 16 months to process. The resources allocated to process such applications are dependent on the prioritised work requirements of the immigration division of my Department at any one time, which is operating against a background of significant increases on demands for its services over a wide range of areas, including the type of applications referred to.

The immigration division of my Department has growing experience of marriages being entered into for the sole purpose of enabling the non-national in question gain entry to the State. Frequently in these circumstances, the Irish national may be totally unaware that this is the intention of the non-national and will feel aggrieved by the perception that the immigration authorities are interfering with their private life in refusing to allow their spouse to enter or remain in the State. On occasion, the Irish national may be a willing party for their own personal benefit. "Convenience" marriages for the purpose of circumventing normal immigration controls are experienced by immigration jurisdictions worldwide and, in this regard, holiday and Internet romances feature frequently.

To prevent abuses of the system, in so far as is possible and without unduly interfering with the Irish citizen's private circumstances, the immigration division will seek to establish various matters. These include the context in which the marriage took place, the validity of the marriage and whether the couple are residing in a family unit. This may involve requesting supporting documentation as evidence of the relationship or an interview by the immigration authorities of either or both parties. We are, however, currently examining the possibility of introducing, within the confines of the limited resources available, an expedited service for the more straightforward cases.