Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 376 of 6 May 2009, the information that was sought from the applicant on 7 November 2008 in view of the fact that they have no record of receiving such a request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20140/09]

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 August 2006.

A letter issued to the person concerned on 7 November, 2008 requesting further documentation. A copy of the letter was re-issued to the person in question on 14 May, 2009. Further processing of the application will commence once the documentation requested is received.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 287: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when a decision will be made in the case of a person (details supplied) in view of the fact that their application is in process for more than 23 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20143/09]

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 October 2006.

Officials in that Section inform me that the application is at an advanced stage of processing and the file will be submitted to me for a decision in due course. The average processing time from application to decision is now at 23 months. The Citizenship Division is currently commencing further processing of applications received in late 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 the status of citizenship is not undervalued and is only given to persons who genuinely satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria.