Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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523. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason his Department has requested proof of evidence for the past three months to be provided again when it had previously been provided to the citizenship unit in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49145/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that an application for a certificate of naturalisation has been received from the person referred to by the Deputy.

The application is being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation, such as good character and lawful residence, and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. In accordance with the requirements for applications made under Section 15A of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, the applicant was asked, via their solicitor, to submit proof of residence for the last three months which should include the applicant's and his spouse's name and address. The most recent of the documents submitted by the applicant was over six months old and therefore did not meet the requirements as specified in the guidance provided with the application form.

The Deputy may wish to note that 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 established specifically 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.