John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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200. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to reduce the fee for persons from the UK that are married to Irish citizens and permanently living here to resolve their citizenship issues ahead of Brexit; if his attention has been drawn to the concerns these persons have following Brexit that they may no longer have EU entitlement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47742/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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It is open to any individual who may wish to become an Irish citizen to lodge an application for citizenship through naturalisation if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory conditions for naturalisation as prescribed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. 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 fees to be paid by an applicant for a certificate of naturalisation are governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 569 of 2011). The application fee, stipulated at €175, is payable on application for a certificate of naturalisation and a certification fee is payable on the issue of a certificate of naturalisation. The standard certification fee is set at €950, while a reduced fee of €200 applies in the case of an application made on behalf of a minor or in certain cases where the application is made by a widow, widower or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen. In the case of recognised refugees and stateless persons the certification fee is nil.

There is no provision in the Regulations for the discretionary waiver or reduction of fees, or for differing fees to apply to different nationalities or different classes of applicant. All of the fees payable under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act are kept under on-going review by my Department; however, there are no plans to amend the fees.

The standard fees payable by an applicant are designed to reflect the effort and cost involved in processing applications for a certificate of naturalisation. The Deputy will be aware that formal citizenship ceremonies have been introduced at no extra cost to applicants. These have been universally well received by participants as the ceremonies provide a sense of dignity and occasion that serves to underscore the importance to both the State and the applicant of the granting of Irish citizenship.

The situation concerning what EU entitlements may be available to UK citizens following Brexit is a matter for the negotiations currently underway between the EU and the UK. The outcome of any Brexit negotiations will not affect the citizenship status of persons, including UK citizens, residing in the State.

As outlined, the grant of Irish citizenship is a national competency and there are no current plans to amend the legislation. The Government position is to protect the Common Travel Area arrangements and to maintain the existing arrangements with regard to the UK. Should an issue arise in this area during any negotiations between the UK and the EU, the position will be revisited at that stage.