Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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428. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if attending a college or other educational institution in the UK would affect a young person's residency status for the purposes of Irish naturalisation provided that young person's family remained resident here throughout that period. [34616/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. Section 15 of the Act provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation provided certain statutory conditions as set out in the Act are fulfilled. The statutory conditions include that the applicant himself or herself must have had one year's continuous residency in the State immediately before the date of application and, during the eight years immediately preceding that period, have had a further total residence in the State amounting to four years. Periods of residence outside the State are not reckonable for naturalisation purposes. Every application for a certificate of naturalisation is considered on its own merits having regard to the statutory conditions set out in the Act.

Detailed information on Irish citizenship and naturalisation, as well as the relevant application forms, is available on the INIS website at www.inis.gov.ie. The website also contains guidance on the completion of an application for naturalisation.