Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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1109. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she has considered amending the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 to allow for children to receive Irish citizenship in cases in which their parents had applied for Irish citizenship at the time of their birth but the application had not been processed (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30697/21]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.

The requirements for foreign births registration are set out in section 27 of the Act, and are administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs. That Department manages the process for those applications and further details are available on their website at: www.dfa.ie.

However, any changes or amendments to the 1956 Act are a matter for my Department. It should be noted that the lodging of an application for entry to the foreign births register is not a guarantee that the application will be approved. Therefore, amending the Act to provide for such a scenario would not be considered appropriate. Nor is it considered necessary. The current legislation does not say that the child will be ineligible for citizenship if their parent is not included on the foreign birth register prior to their birth. As soon as the parent is registered, the child will be entitled to citizenship.

While all legislation is kept under review, I can inform the Deputy that there are no plans to amend the 1956 Act in the manner suggested for the reasons outlined.