Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 169: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when an application for citizenship will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24411/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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A valid 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 January 2008. All valid applications are 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 26 months. More complicated cases can at times take more than the current average, while an element of straight forward cases can be dealt with in less than that timescale. Officials in the Citizenship Division inform me that further processing of the application is ongoing and the file will be submitted to me for a decision in due course.

The length of time taken to process each application should not be classified as a delay, as the length of time taken for any application to be decided is purely a function of the time taken to carry out necessary checks. 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 it 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 170: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to parliamentary Question No. 137 of 27 May 2010 if he will confirm that the correspondence in question was already submitted to his own office on 26 January 2010; the current location of the documents in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24440/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question 137 on 27 May, 2010. The position remains as stated.