Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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74. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if a person (details supplied) can be accommodated with regard to a passport application issue that has arisen. [14808/17]

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 Section 17 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, provides that an application for a certificate of naturalisation shall be in the prescribed form and accompanied by the prescribed fee. Both the application form and the required fee are prescribed by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011.

Detailed information on Irish citizenship and naturalisation is available on the INIS website at www.inis.gov.ie. The website also contains guidance on the completion of an application for naturalisation and an on-line naturalisation residency calculator which individuals may find of assistance in establishing if the residency requirements are met. Queries on the application process can be made by phone or email to the Citizenship Division, the contact details of which are available at inis.gov.ie

An application for naturalisation from the person concerned was deemed ineligible as the Statutory Declaration, which forms a solemn and fundamental part of the prescribed application form, was not completed. The importance of paying particular attention to the completion of the Statutory Declaration is stressed in the guidelines on the completion of the application.

Each application is required to be supported by its own documentary evidence to vouch the application as well as the original of the applicant's current passport. While the passport is returned the documentary evidence submitted to vouch an application is retained in order to preserve the integrity of the case file and the process in general. The application fee, stipulated at €175, is payable on application for a certificate of naturalisation. There is no provision for the discretionary waiver or reduction or refund of fees. All of the fees payable under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 are kept under ongoing review by my Department; however, there are no plans to reduce or abolish or introduce provisions for a waiver or refund of these fees.

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.