Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 454: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 112 of 2 June 2011, if the information is now available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26953/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually under the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. Section 15 of the Act provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation provided certain statutory conditions are fulfilled. These conditions are that the applicant must -

· be of full age

· be of good character

· have had a period of one year's continuous residency in the State immediately before the date of application and, during the eight years immediately preceding that period, have had a total residence in the State amounting to four years

· intend in good faith to continue to reside in the State after naturalisation

· have, before a judge of the District Court in open court, in a citizenship ceremony or in such manner as the Minister, for special reasons, allows—

(i) made a declaration, in the prescribed manner, of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State, and

(ii) undertaken to faithfully observe the laws of the State and to respect its democratic values.

In the context of naturalisation, certain periods of residence in the State are excluded. These include -

· periods of residence in respect of which an applicant does not have permission to remain in the State

· periods granted for the purposes of study

· periods granted for the purposes of seeking recognition as a refugee within the meaning of the Refugee Act, 1996.

The matters raised by the Deputy come under the umbrella of the Minister's absolute discretion. Each application for a certificate of naturalisation is examined on its own merits and the Minister decides, at his discretion, whether to grant or refuse the application based on all the information provided.

A foreign national who satisfies the conditions for naturalisation may make an application for a certificate of naturalisation at any time. There is no provision that disqualifies a person from lodging an application.