Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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107. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if there is a provision whereby some time is waived with regard to the period after a person has been granted subsidiary protection before they can apply for naturalisation, in view of the delay in making decisions on subsidiary protection applications due to of the High Court challenge to the EU provision relating to subsidiary protection; the date by which a person regarding whom a decision to grant subsidiary protection was made on 20 May 2014 can make a valid application for naturalisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44414/17]

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 in the State in the asylum process while awaiting a decision on subsidiary protection 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.

Section 16 of the Act provides the power to the Minister, in his absolute discretion, to waive some or all of the statutory conditions in the certain cases as set out in that section.  There is no provision for the exercise of discretion in the case of persons granted subsidiary protection. 

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.

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