Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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1096. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he agrees that there needs to be more resources provided to make the citizenship application process more efficient (details supplied); and the steps that have been taken and are planned to help tackle this issue going forward. [63978/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The staffing levels in the Citizenship Division of my Department are kept under review in line with the business needs of the Division. The Citizenship Division receives approximately 1,000 applications per month and utilises the resources available to maximise processing and reduce waiting times.

Unfortunately due to unprecedented demand, and the ongoing legacy of the pandemic, processing times have been extended. I understand that extended processing times can be frustrating for applicants, however the Citizenship division has been working hard to clear backlogs.

In 2022 there were 13,613 Certificates of Naturalisation issued, including 1,719 in respect of minor applicants. This represents a 39% increase on the number of certificates issued for 2021 (9,780) and demonstrates the Departments commitment to processing applications in a timely manner. The processing time for applications in 2021 was 24 months. It currently stands at 19 months for decisions issued in 2022, an almost 21% decrease.

There are ongoing developments and improvements being made to the Citizenship application process. Significant changes have been introduced for customers regarding the number of proofs required to establish their identity and residency as part of the application process. A new scorecard was introduced to help applicants to complete their applications with greater certainty than before. Since the go-live of the scorecards, a preliminary review of applications received indicates that the quality of the applications has markedly improved.

This is a welcome development and builds on other innovative measures introduced in the citizenship application process, including the deployment of “Tara” the e-chat bot, e-payments, e-tax clearance and Gardaí e-vetting, and the removal of the requirement to provide the original passport when making an application, all of which have positively enhanced the applicant's experience.

Insofar as the question of judicial review proceedings are concerned, the figures and costs are reflective of the scale of my Department’s processing of immigration applications. My Department processes upwards of 250,000 immigration and international protection applications annually and operate in line with constitutional, European and international obligations. Immigration is a complex and litigious area internationally, given the impact it has on people’s lives. The number of cases and the costs associated with them reflects this complexity and the consistently high volume of applications.