Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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576. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will ensure the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) is properly resourced to enable it to process applications in a timely fashion; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some units in INIS currently have year long processing backlogs (details supplied); if his attention has been further drawn to the distress caused by such delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37114/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Staff of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department are deployed across a wide range of activities including the broad areas of international protection and immigration processing, visa processing, citizenship, border management and policy areas of the organisation. In that context, the management of resources is kept under constant review having regard to business and operational requirements, and staff are deployed accordingly.

While INIS endeavours to have applications processed as quickly as possible, processing times may vary based on a number of factors such as the number of applications on hands, individual circumstances, the complexity of applications, whether further information is required, and the resources available. In that regard I should mention that applications across almost all of the main INIS processing areas continue to increase and this does present challenges for service delivery.

With regard to the application type referred to by the Deputy, I am informed that in many cases processing delays are usually associated with the need for additional documentation or where a detailed assessment of a case is required. I can also advise the Deputy that the practices and procedures have been and continue to be reviewed in order to reduce the time it takes to process an application, e.g. the introduction of new application forms and explanatory leaflets.