Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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66. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has given consideration to requesting a spending review of the Department of Justice citizenship division in view of a recent report (details supplied) that highlighted processing delays for citizenship and naturalisation applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6197/21]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I note that the recent ESRI/Pathways to Citizenship Through Naturalisation Report in Ireland (ESRI Research Series Number 116, December 2020) found that Ireland has more favourable conditions for acquiring citizenship by naturalisation than many other EU Member States. The report also points to some issues and areas for potential improvement that have been highlighted by some NGOs and in parliamentary debate. As regards how to build further upon Ireland's existing strengths in this area and how to address remaining issues and challenges, including through the use of spending reviews, these are matters that fall within the remit of the Minister for Justice and the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.