Written answers
Tuesday, 13 February 2024
Department of Justice and Equality
Departmental Staff
Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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461. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of WTE staff, by grade, working in the citizenship division of her Department as of 6 February 2024; the number of vacancies within this division, by grade; and when these vacancies will be filled, in tabular form. . [6152/24]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The staffing levels in the Citizenship Division of my Department are kept under constant review and additional staff have been assigned to the team, as required.
The Citizenship division of my Department currently has 84 staff and 7 vacancies.
| Grade | Number |
|---|---|
| PO | 1 |
| AP | 1 |
| HEO | 8 |
| EO | 19 |
| CO | 36 |
| TCO | 18 |
| SVO | 1 |
| TOTAL | 84 |
The WTE for the division is 78.42.
I understand the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants and my Department has been working hard to clear backlogs.
My Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eVetting and online payments.
My Department has recently moved from paper to online based citizenship applications. This is one of a number of measures introduced in an effort to optimise the application process and enhance the overall customer service experience. As part of the new online process, customers are issued with an acknowledgment on submission of the online application. The forms provide a seamless application process and help guide applicants through what is required for an application.
Finally, I can advise the Deputy that the Citizenship Division of my Department continues to communicate regularly with all applicants to keep them informed as to updates on processing times and arrangements.
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