Written answers

Wednesday, 22 April 2009

Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

Citizenship Applications

10:00 pm

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 374: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, further to Parliamentary Question No. 298 of 31 March 2009, if his attention has been drawn to the application for naturalisation of a person (details supplied) which was also submitted to his Department in December 2008 and has been granted; the length of time it currently takes to process a naturalisation application in respect of a child; when this application is expected to be dealt with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15100/09]

Photo of Dermot AhernDermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The application for naturalisation from the first named person, a spouse of an Irish citizen, has been granted.

Applications for certificates of naturalisation on behalf of the second and third persons referred to in the Deputy's Question were received in December 2008.

Applications for naturalisation are generally dealt with in chronological order as this is deemed to be the fairest to all applicants. The average processing time from application to decision is now at 23 months. 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.

Applications on behalf of minors are dealt with by a separate unit in the Citizenship Division of my Department, because they generally require less processing than standard adult applications, it is usually possible to finalise them more quickly.

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 the status of citizenship is not undervalued and is only given to persons who genuinely satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria.

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 375: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of the naturalisation application in respect of a person (details supplied); when a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15121/09]

Photo of Dermot AhernDermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question 320 on 17 December 2008. Officials in the Citizenship Section inform me that processing of this application is ongoing and the file will be forwarded to me for a decision in due course.

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