Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1226. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the fact that two naturalisation applications by persons (details supplied) that were submitted in September 2020 have not been concluded and no update has been received by the persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63486/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Applications for a certificate of naturalisation were received from the persons referred to by the Deputy on 21 September 2020. These applications are currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicants meet the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. 

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 recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time. 

In addition, the combined impact of the 2019 High Court judgment in the Jones case and the necessary health restrictions arising from the pandemic, has unfortunately resulted in the processing time for standard applications increasing. 

However, my Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times.

All applications for certificate of naturalisation are generally dealt with in the order received. However, most recently my Department has targeted increased resources on finalising applications that were 24 months or more in the system.

In 2021, 11,512 citizenship decisions were delivered, significantly exceeding the levels achieved in the last two years. Additional staff have also been assigned to the citizenship team.  Based on these measures, my Department's objective is to achieve an improved timeframe of 6-9 months for decisions on a majority of applications during 2022.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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1227. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her views on granting reduced fees for naturalisation for citizenship applicants who were unable to marry an Irish citizen partner prior to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63562/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Commencement Order for the Marriage Act 2015 was signed on 10 November 2015, which brought the provisions of the Marriage Act 2015 into effect from 16 November 2015. In line with general legal principles, the law does not have retrospective application.

All fees payable under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, are kept under ongoing review by my Department. However, there is no provision for the discretionary waiver or reduction of fees, or for different fees to be applied.

The fees charged in respect of applications for a certificate of naturalisation are governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011 and have not increased in the last ten years.  The standard certification fee is set at €950. By way of comparison, in the UK, the adult fee has increased from £756 to £1,330 during the same period.

The fee is charged in two parts. The current application fee is €175, payable when an application for naturalisation is lodged. I am informed that the introduction of the application fee had an immediate positive effect on the quality and completeness of applications, which is ultimately to the benefit of all applicants.

A certificate fee of €950 is payable to successful applicants when a certificate of naturalisation issues. 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, there is no certificate fee.

The standard fees payable by an applicant are designed to reflect the effort and cost involved in processing applications for a certificate of naturalisation which, given the benefits involved, is quite a detailed process. In addition, the overall fees enabled citizenship ceremonies to be introduced at no additional cost and to develop digital solutions to enhance and speed up the application process.