Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 360: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when an application for naturalisation will be decided for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17687/09]

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 March 2006. Officials in that section inform me that processing of the application is at an advanced stage and will be submitted to me for a decision in due course. 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 straightforward cases are now being dealt with in less than that timescale. 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.

I am also informed that the address the Deputy has provided differs from the address that my Department holds on file for the person concerned. It is the responsibility of the applicant to keep my Department informed of any change of address in writing.