Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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1258. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Palestinians who have been given certificates of naturalisation in 2019, 2020, and 2021; If Palestinians can be given an automatic right to reside in Ireland; the number of times that section 15A(2) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, has been utilised in respect of Palestinians in these three specified years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19684/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 number of Palestinian nationals who have been granted certificates of naturalisation in 2019, 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022 are set out in the table.

Statistics are not currently compiled by my Department to provide the number of times that section 15A(2) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (as amended) has been utilised in respect of Palestinian nationals in the three specified years.

Section 15(A)(2) of the Act gives discretion to waive the conditions at paragraph (c), (e), (f) or (g) of subsection (1) or any of them if satisfied that the applicant would suffer serious consequences in respect of his or her bodily integrity or liberty if not granted Irish citizenship. 

There are no programmes or arrangements currently in place that would allow Palestinian nationals to be granted an automatic right to reside in the State. As visa required nationals, they must obtain the appropriate visa prior to travelling to Ireland. Details of the legal pathways available to anyone who wishes to reside in Ireland on a temporary or permanent basis are available on my Department's immigration website: www.irishimmigration.ie.