Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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57. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason 554 persons have been waiting three years or more for their naturalisation citizenship application to be processed; his views on whether this is an acceptable amount of time to be waiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33006/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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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 I know the Deputy will appreciate that 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 straightforward cases are 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, particularly with regard to establishing whether the statutory conditions for naturalisation as set out in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, such as good character and lawful residence are satisfied. In considering the number of cases referred to by the Deputy it should be borne in mind that since 2011 almost 110,000 persons have been granted a certificate of naturalisation.

Cases where delays in processing can arise are generally due to further documentation being required from the applicant and/or payment of the required certificate fee is awaited, or the applicant has not been engaging with the office. In some instances delays can arise at the final stage of the naturalisation process, for example where additional information comes to light which requires further investigation. In other instances the applicant may request that a hold be put on their application, for example where they may have returned to their country of origin for a prolonged period, to facilitate them in making arrangements to return to reside in the State, or where they have difficulty in obtaining satisfactory evidence of their identity or nationality.

I am informed that the Citizenship Division of my Department are conducting an ongoing review of outstanding cases with a view to substantially reducing the number of applications which await decision, particularly where the applicant has not been engaging with the office.