Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 525: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding an application for Irish citizenship for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare. [34455/05]

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 526: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding an application for Irish citizenship for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34456/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 526 together.

The two persons, a husband and wife, applied for certificates of naturalisation in May 2003. The applications were deemed to be ineligible as the persons concerned did not have the statutory 60 months reckonable residence at the time of their applications. This decision was communicated to the persons concerned in February 2005.

In my response to Parliamentary Question No. 143 on 10 March 2005, I acknowledged to the Deputy that the applicants had periods of permission to remain in the State which were not recorded in their passports, and as a result were not taken into account when considering their eligibility for naturalisation. I understand that an official from the citizenship section of my Department informed the Deputy in the course of a telephone conversation on 10 March 2005 that even taking into account the additional periods of permission to remain, the persons concerned still did not have the necessary 60 months reckonable residence at the time of their applications in March 2003. The Deputy was further informed that it was open to the two individuals to submit new applications since they appeared to have the necessary residence at that time — March 2005. I have been informed that there is no record of new applications having been received to date. It is still open to the two persons concerned to reapply for naturalisation, provided they renewed their residency permission when it expired at the end of March 2005.