Written answers
Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Department of Justice and Equality
Citizenship Applications
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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578. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if consideration will be given to allowing persons outside of marriage or civil partnership who have residency in the North of Ireland to apply for Irish citizenship through naturalisation based on their years living there, without the need to rely on a spouse or civil partner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15056/23]
Simon Harris (Wicklow, 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, and all applications are processed in line with the eligibility criteria as set out under the Act.
Section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, provides that the Minister for Justice may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation provided certain statutory conditions are fulfilled.
The conditions include that the applicant must have had a period of one year's continuous residence in the State immediately before the date of application and, during the eight years immediately preceding that period, have had a total residence in the State amounting to four years, and that the applicant intends in good faith to continue to reside in the State after naturalisation.
There are no plans to legislate to revise these requirement along the lines proposed by the Deputy.
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