Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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496. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average processing time for citizenship applications in Ireland at present; if they can be reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6716/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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.

The Citizenship Division receives approximately 1,000 applications per month and utilises the resources available to maximise processing and reduce waiting times. Applications are strictly dealt with in chronological order that they are received, and due to the high volume of applications that are received currently, the median processing time is 19 months.

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.

There are ongoing developments and improvements being made to the citizenship application process. Significant reforms have been introduced for customers to streamline 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. Since this initiative went live, a preliminary review of applications received indicates that the quality of the applications has markedly improved.

I welcome this development which builds on other innovative measures introduced in the application process, including the deployment of “Tara” the e-chat bot, as well as 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.