Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 449: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will report on the procedure by which a child born in the State after 1 January 2005, whose parents are not Irish citizens and did not at the time meet the statutory residency requirement for the child to be granted Irish citizenship at birth, can obtain naturalisation as a result of continuous residency in the State since the child's birth. [16351/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Prior to 1 January 2005, Section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956 provided that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform could grant a certificate of naturalisation if he was satisfied that the applicant fulfilled certain statutory conditions, including being of full age.

With effect from 1 January 2005, the full age requirement has been amended to allow children born in Ireland, who were not entitled to Irish citizenship, to apply for naturalisation. Such children will still be required to comply with the relevant statutory requirements, including being resident in the State for 5 years. Consequently, no such children will be eligible to apply under that provision before 1 January 2010.

Details of the full procedure and the relevant statutory forms will be available well in advance of that date.