Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 322: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason for the delay in processing an application for naturalisation in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if he will provide a specific date by which this application will be determined; if the person should forward correspondence from their employer detailing the need for their application to be processed to enable them to continue to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39874/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy in August, 2010.

The application is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. As the processing requirements and time taken to complete necessary checks vary from case to case, it is not possible to provide a specific date for determination of an individual application. However, I can inform the Deputy that good progress is being made in reducing the time taken to process the generality of applications and it is my objective that by the spring of next year, save in exceptional circumstances, persons applying for citizenship will be given a decision on their application within six months.

It is open to applicants for a certificate of naturalisation to submit whatever additional documentation they wish in support of their application. Any such documentation will be considered. However, it is important to reiterate that all applications are now being dealt with as expeditiously as possible.

The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.