Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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107. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of minor naturalisation applications that are currently waiting to be processed; the current waiting time for an application to be processed; the estimated length of time that it will take to clear the backlog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8598/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The pandemic has had a significant impact on our service delivery. However, at all times and during all levels of restrictions, my Department has continued to accept and process citizenship applications. There are currently 3,038 citizenship applications for minors being processed by my Department. The majority of these are more than 12 months in the system.

Some cases are unfortunately taking more than 24 months to process. My Department's objective is to achieve a significantly improved decision making timeframe of 6-9 months for a majority of applications during this year. My Department has introduced a number of changes to help speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to support applicants and increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments.

A particularly useful change that has been welcomed by applicants is that since the beginning of this year, all applicants, including minors, are no longer required to submit their original passport with their application. Instead, they can provide a full colour certified copy. A points-based scoring system for proofs of residence has also been introduced to assist applicants and ensure that submitted applications are complete.

My Department has identified that approximately 20% of the 25,000 applications currently in the system are incomplete, with further action required by the applicant to progress the application. From the end of March, if there is no further engagement with my Department, these applications will be deemed ineligible and returned to the applicant. This will allow my officials to focus resources on processing complete applications and ensure that decisions are delivered more quickly for those applicants.

The aim of the steps taken is 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.

As an early indication of the success of these measures, my Department made more than 11,500 citizenship decisions last year, which is the highest level since 2015.

I can also advise the Deputy that it is my intention to hold an in-person citizenship ceremony this June, public health permitting.