Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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47. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if other means will be accepted for a naturalisation application in view of the difficulty a person (details supplied) is having obtaining a passport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26360/17]

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 the person concerned had their permission to remain in the State renewed for a further one year period to 14 December, 2017. This decision was conveyed in writing to the person concerned by letter dated 13 December, 2016. This permission was renewed to enable the person concerned obtain a valid passport or alternatively submit evidence as to what effort they have made to secure a passport. To date no such correspondence has been received.

It will be open to the person concerned to apply to the Citizenship Section of my Department for a Certificate of Naturalisation when they are in a position to meet the lawful residency criteria applicable to the lodgement of such applications. Details on the criteria to be met by persons lodging such applications are available from my Department's Website (www.justice.ie).

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 INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.