Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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333. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when naturalisation status will be made available in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10799/20]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned currently holds a Stamp 4 permission to remain in the State, valid until 5 October 2021. There is no record of an application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person concerned.

The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act. A determination on whether an applicant satisfies the statutory criteria attendant to naturalisation can only be made after an application is received.

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.

It is open to any individual to lodge an application for citizenship if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory conditions as prescribed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

Full details of the eligibility criteria, a residency calculator and extensive guidelines are available on the Immigration Service website at: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/citizenship/. 

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by email 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.