Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 664: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected position in relation to citizenship or family reunification in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 1. [1601/09]

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 Division of my Department in November 2007.

The average processing time from application to decision is now at 24 months. The Citizenship Division is currently commencing further processing of applications received in mid 2007. More complicated cases can at times take more than the current average while an element of straight forward cases are now being dealt with in less than that time scale.

There is a limit to the reduction in the processing time that can be achieved as applications for naturalisation must be processed in a way which preserves the necessary checks and balances to ensure that it is not undervalued and is only given to persons who genuinely satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria. However, I understand that the person concerned is a refugee and in accordance with the Government's obligations under the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees every effort is made to ensure that applications from persons with refugee status are dealt with as quickly as possible. A decision in relation to the Family Reunification application of the person in question issued to their legal representative on 3 October, 2008.