Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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148. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current and expected status of applications for naturalisation by persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43423/15]

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 an application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the daughter of the person referred to by the Deputy. Correspondence issued on three occasions requesting certain information. As this information was not received the application was deemed ineligible and the applicant was informed of this in a letter which issued on 29 July 2014.

An application for a certificate of naturalisation has been received on behalf of the second child of the person referred to by the Deputy. A letter issued to the parent requesting certain information. Upon receipt of the requested information the case will be finalised and submitted to me for decision.

Where sections 6A and 6B of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, are applicable, a child born in the island of Ireland on or after 1 January 2005 has an entitlement to Irish citizenship if, at the time of the birth of the child, one of his or her parents had, during the period of 4 years immediately preceding the person's birth, been resident in the island of Ireland for a period of not less than 3 years or periods the aggregate of which is not less than 3 years. Periods of unlawful residence, periods of residence which were for the sole purpose of having an application for refugee status determined or periods of residence where permission was granted for the purposes of study are excluded from the determination of periods of reckonable residence. Entitlement of a child to Irish citizenship is determined by the Passport Office following receipt of an application for a passport on the child's behalf.

Where a child born in the State did not at birth have an entitlement to Irish citizenship, the parent or guardian or person who is in loco parentis to the child may lodge an application for naturalisation on behalf of the child if and when the conditions for naturalisation are satisfied, including a requirement to have 5 years residence in the State. Alternatively, a parent who is a naturalised Irish citizen may lodge an application on behalf of the child under section 16 of the Act. It is important that individuals who require permission to remain in the State keep this permission up-to-date at all times. Failure to do so may adversely affect an application for a certificate of naturalisation.

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.