Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 587: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the maximum support and assistance will be given to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin in their application for Irish citizenship. [22097/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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An application for a certificate of naturalisation by the person referred to by the Deputy was received in the citizenship section of my Department in January 2003.

Section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, provides that an applicant for naturalisation must have a period of one year's continuous residence in the State before the date of the application and a total of four year's residence in the State in the eight years preceding that period. For the purposes of calculating this residency, no period may be reckoned in respect of which a non-national either was required to have the permission of the Minister to remain in the State but did not have such permission, or had permission to remain for the purpose of study or for the purpose of seeking to be recognised as a refugee within the meaning of the Refugee Act 1996. As the applicant entered the State in April 1999, she did not fulfil the above mentioned statutory residency criteria at the date of her application.