Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 370: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the processing time for post nuptial citizenship applications processed by his Department. [31049/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Acts, 1956 to 2004, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is responsible for determining entitlement to post-nuptial citizenship. This includes post-nuptial declarations made by persons resident abroad that were submitted to our Embassies and Consulates.

The statutory provisions providing for post-nuptial citizenship were repealed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 2001, which came into effect on 30 November 2002. A transition provision contained in that Act enabled persons who married Irish citizens prior to 30 November 2002 to make a post-nuptial declaration on or before 29 November 2005.

The final months of the transition period saw a substantial increase in the numbers of declarations received by our Embassies and Consulates, with approximately 10,400 received between 1 January and 29 November, 2005. This was more than five times the number received in all of 2004. My Department has so far completed its processing of 4,329 of these declarations and their supporting documents. Efforts are being made to process the remaining applications as quickly as possible while ensuring that legal requirements are fully met. Declarations found to be in order are forwarded to the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform, which issues the Certificates of Declaration accepting Irish Citizenship.