Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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1099. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current timeframe for the processing of citizenship applications; the number of applications processed in each of the years 2020 to 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1098/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am deeply conscious of how important the granting of naturalisation is to those who apply for it and my Department continued to accept and process citizenship applications throughout the pandemic and during all levels of public health restrictions.

All naturalisation applications are processed in chronological order on date received and in accordance with the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended. All applicants are required to meet minimum periods of reckonable residence and standard checks are carried out as part of the overall process to maintain its integrity.

The Citizenship Division receives approximately 1,000 applications per month and utilises the resources available to maximise processing and reduce waiting times. 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. The current median processing time for naturalisation applications is 19 months.

The table below sets out the number of certificates that have issued since 2020.

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.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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1100. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current timeframe for the processing of citizenship applications in view of the fact that it is over 35 months since an application (details supplied) was first lodged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1099/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department, with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation. It will be submitted to me for decision in due course.

The Citizenship division wrote to the person concerned on 11 January 2022 requesting that a form be completed and returned. The application will be processed further on receipt of the requested form.

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.

Applications are processed in chronological order by date received. Due to the high volume of applications currently on hand, regrettably, the median time for processing applications is 19 months.

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.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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1101. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide a current update on an application for Irish citizenship by a person (details supplied) in County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1100/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department, with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation. It will be submitted to me for decision in due course.

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.

Applications are processed in chronological order by date received, and though it is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay, due to the high volume of applications currently on hand, regrettably, the median time for processing applications is currently 19 months. 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.

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.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.