Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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452. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his views as to whether there can be improvements in communications and updates to applicants for naturalisation, in particular in cases in which applications take longer than a year (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35129/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department attempts to keep applicants informed of the status of their application at each stage of processing. Once these processes are completed the application is submitted to me for a decision, which is made in my absolute discretion under the Act by assessing the entirety of the information available to me. Applicants are then informed of my decision in writing. Successful applicants are advised by letter of my intention to grant citizenship and they are requested to submit the prescribed fee and any other relevant documents. On receipt of the fee and requested documentation the case is advanced and in due course the person is invited to attend a citizenship ceremony at which they are required to make a declaration of fidelity to the Irish nation and loyalty to the State and receive their certificate of naturalisation.

I am informed that the Citizenship Division is conducting an ongoing review of outstanding cases with a view to substantially reducing the number of applications which await decision, particularly in cases where the applicant has not been engaging with the office, and that they also continue to monitor their customer services based on feedback they have received from applicants and are happy to introduce improvements where this is 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. All applications are examined to determine if the applicant meets the statutory criteria set out in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, such as good character and lawful residence and enquiries are made, as appropriate, to establish if the applicant meets the requirements for the granting of naturalisation. 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 may take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks may take a considerable period of time.

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.