Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

70. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 64 and 65 of 28 June 2016, if she is aware that the European Court has held that a member state may not plead internal circumstances such as resources in order to justify a failure to comply with obligations and time limits resulting from community law; her plans to address the delays in issuing certificates of applications for residence permits for family members of European citizens as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20172/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I can assure the Deputy that the primary consideration of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department is to process applications for residence permits by family members of EU citizens exercising free movement rights in compliance with the requirements of Community law.

It is important, however, to put the scale and complexity of the applications on hands and the current operating environment into perspective. As set out in my response to the Deputy on 28 June, a range of actions have been taken by INIS to address the difficulties that have arisen in this area due to the unprecedented increase in applications since 2014, including the allocation of additional resources and ongoing overtime. Arising from this strategy, over 3,000 applications have been processed in the first six months of this year. This represents a 45% increase on the number of applications processed over the same period in 2015. However, with such an unprecedented growth in applications it is inevitable that there will be significant pressures and processing times will be impacted.

I would also remind the Deputy that INIS has serious concerns that a significant number of applications are indicative of potential abuse of the Common Travel Area (CTA). In that regard, the process demands detailed robust investigation and fair procedures. While INIS is committed to processing applications with the objective of achieving the highest possible level of efficiency for applicants, this must be balanced with safeguarding the integrity of the operation of the CTA and the State's immigration system.