Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 191: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has received an application from persons (details supplied) in County Cork for naturalisation; and when this application will be approved. [9830/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Applications for certificates of naturalisation from the persons referred to in the Deputy's Question were received in the Citizenship section of my Department in July 2006.

Officials in that section are currently processing applications received in mid 2005 and have approximately 6,200 applications on hand to be dealt with before that of the persons in question. These are generally dealt with in chronological order as this is deemed to be the fairest to all applicants.

However, I understand that the persons concerned are refugees. In accordance with the Government's obligations under the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951, every effort is made to ensure that applications from persons with refugee status are dealt with as quickly as possible, having regard to the general volume of applications on hand. It is likely, therefore, that further processing of the applications will commence in the coming months.

I will inform the Deputy and the individuals in question when I have reached a decision on the matter.