Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 360: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, in view of the time taken by his Department to process applications for naturalisation, it is equitable that persons who applied when the fee was €650 are required to pay the increased fee of €950; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22301/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Certificates of naturalisation are issued on payment of the prescribed fee at the time of certification as set out in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. Certification fees for Citizenship were last changed in 1993. The regulations that came into force on 1st August 2008 were the result of a review of citizenship fees that began some time prior to that date and merely bring the amounts in line with inflation for the period 1993-2008. While the fees are designed to reflect the effort and cost involved in processing the different categories of applicant, the current certification fees do not recoup the full cost of processing in any category. As this is a certification fee, it is the date of issue rather than the date of application that must be taken into account. Certificates of naturalisation can only be issued on payment of the prescribed fee at the time of certification.

The Deputy will be aware that the increased resources that I have allocated to this area have resulted in a considerable improvement in processing times over the past year even though the number of applications for a certificate of naturalisation has continued to see significant growth. However, 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.