Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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95. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current expected residency status in the case of persons (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27565/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the first named person was granted a residence card on 11 May, 2012, as the spouse of an EU national, valid for a 5 year period up to 11 May, 2017.

The first named person has an application for a certificate of naturalisation which is ongoing and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible.

As the Deputy will appreciate, 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.

It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. While most cases are now generally processed within six months, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.

I am further informed by the INIS of my Department that the second named person applied for a right of residency, accompanied by a right to work, based on parentage of an Irish citizen child. I am informed that the INIS wrote to the person on 20 September, 2016 to clarify a number of matters in relation to their case. A reply to that letter is awaited.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by email using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been 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 Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy should consider using the email service, except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.