Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress made to date in the determination of eligibility for naturalisation in the case of persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10546/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Valid applications for a certificate of naturalisation from the persons referred to by the Deputy were received in the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) in April 2010.

The applications are at an advanced stage of processing. The persons concerned will be informed of my decision on their applications in due course.

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.

I should remind the Deputy that queries in relation to the status of individual Immigration cases may be made direct to INIS by Email using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. The service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek this information through the more administratively expensive Parliamentary Questions process.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 188: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current position in relation to the determination of naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10547/12]

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 the 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.

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.