Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 532: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, as indicated in replies to numerous parliamentary questions, he generally refuses citizenship status to persons who have been in receipt of a social welfare payment in the past three years; if there are exceptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23944/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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As I have informed this House on several occasions in the recent past in response to parliamentary questions, some of which were tabled by the Deputy, I have adopted a general policy that applicants for naturalisation, other than refugees, programme refugees or stateless persons, should have been supporting themselves and their families without recourse to State support for a three year period prior to applying for naturalisation and, furthermore, they must show, as far as is practicable, that they have the capacity to support themselves into the future. I apply this general policy to all applications for naturalisation unless the exceptional circumstances of a particular case suggest otherwise.

I have no plans to change this general policy at the present time.