Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 326: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current or expected position in respect of an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39924/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that the person referred to by the Deputy was granted permission to remain in the State on 4 October, 2005 under the revised arrangements for the non-EEA parents of children born in Ireland prior to 1 January, 2005, commonly known as the IBC/05 Scheme. This permission to remain was renewed in 2007 and in 2010, and is currently valid to 25 June, 2013. I am also advised by the Citizenship Division of the INIS that an application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy in September, 2011. This 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. 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 the 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 the INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.