Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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155. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the entitlement to stamp 4 residency status/long term residency/eligibility for consideration for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 3 who has been in continuous employment in this jurisdiction from 2007 to date, has paid their taxes and liabilities during the seven year period until they were instructed to cease employment by the statutory authorities; if their passport which was retained by immigration is likely to be returned to them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26539/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned is part of a family unit who have all consented to deportation. The precise arrangements are being made for the various family members, including the person concerned, and these are expected to be finalised in the near future.

I am also advised that the person concerned has recently been before the Irish courts, having been charged with offences pursuant to the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. The person concerned was convicted on all charges and has received a suspended sentence and a financial penalty.

Given that the person concerned has only held a right of residency in the State on student conditions for a 12 month period between November, 2007 and October, 2008, the question of meeting any residency requirements necessary to support an application for Long Term Residency or for a Certificate of Naturalisation does not arise.

Where a valid passport is retained by the State's immigration authorities, it is the practice that this is returned to the relevant party at the point of their departure from the State. It will ultimately be a matter for An Garda Síochána to decide whether the passport in this case can be returned to the person concerned, at the point of their departure from the State, taking into account that it has been tampered with.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department 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.