Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in regard to the application for citizenship in the case of persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25584/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Applications for certificates of naturalisation from the persons referred to in the Deputy's Question were received in the Citizenship Division of my Department in September 2007.

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 early 2008. 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.

Officials inform me that both applications are at an advanced stage of processing and the files will be submitted to me for a decision in due course.

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.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in regard to the application for family reunification in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25585/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that the person concerned was the subject of a Family Reunification application which was approved in August 2005. I am also informed that it is not open to applicants for Refugee Family Reunification to make applications in respect of family members.

I am further informed by INIS that there is no record of a Family Reunification application in respect of her sister. If an application for asylum has been made by the person concerned the Deputy will of course be aware that it is not the practice to comment on asylum applications that are pending.