Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason the application for citizenship in the name of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare was refused on the basis of coming to the attention of the Gardaí when their case was subsequently dismissed on appeal; if the fine imposed initially is refundable and their status restored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34508/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to reply to Parliamentary Questions 159 of 27 September 2007, 210 of 6 February 2007 and 136 of 23 November 2006. The position remains as stated.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when an application will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34511/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Section of my Department in January 2008. Officials in that section are currently processing applications received in June 2006. Applications are dealt with in chronological order as this is deemed to be the fairest to all applicants. The current processing time for applications for certificates of naturalisation is approximately 28 months.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 168: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason citizenship applications are taking more than 30 months to process; his plans to reduce this waiting period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34512/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The existing processing time for certificates of naturalisation is currently twenty eight months and this is primarily due to the significant increase in the volume of applications received in recent years. The Citizenship Section of my Department has recently decentralised to Tipperary Town and additional staff resources have also been allocated there. This is already helping to reduce the backlog of applications on hand and reduce waiting times. The procedures employed to assess an applicant for naturalisation are summarised below.

Upon receipt, an initial examination of each application is carried out to determine if the statutory application is completed fully. Incomplete application forms are returned to the applicant for amendment. Valid applications are then examined to determine if the applicant meets the statutory residency criteria set out in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act. Passports and other documentation are examined in detail and enquiries with the Garda National Immigration Bureau may also be necessary.

Further processing takes place at a later stage and involves assessing an applicant's financial status in respect of their ability to support themselves in the State. Inquiries with the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social and Family Affairs may be necessary in this regard. At the same time inquiries are also made with the Garda Síochana to clarify if the applicant can be deemed to be of good character. Depending on the complexity of any given case, these processes can take a lengthy time to complete. Once all inquiries are completed, the file is referred to me for a decision.

The Deputy will appreciate that the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is an honour and applications must be processed in a way which preserves the necessary checks and balances to ensure that it is not undervalued and is given only to persons who satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria. These procedures have been developed and refined over a number of years and I am satisfied that they are necessary to maintain the integrity of the naturalisation process.