Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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349. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he is aware that the naturalisation process is taking an excessive amount for individuals coming from Pakistan, with one case taking 24 months; if he will instruct his Department to investigate this matter and ensure that applications are treated fairly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22700/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can assure the Deputy that the Citizenship Division of my Department is doing everything possible to progress applications as quickly as possible.

Given the importance of citizenship, robust and comprehensive checks must take place on each application. Unfortunately, some international checks can take a considerable amount of time and these are largely out of the control of my Department.

I understand that extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants, however, Citizenship Division have taken a significant number of steps to speed up the process for applicants. These included introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting.

In just over two years the Citizenship Division of my Department has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023, and made more than 31,000 decisions in 2024.

Furthermore, my Department held 24 citizenship ceremonies last year, an increase from the 15 ceremonies held in 2023, and the 6 that were held in 2022. My Department has already held 6 ceremonies this year and will continue to hold ceremonies on a regular basis during 2025.