Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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250. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if there are plans to review the citizenship process in areas such as length of residency immediately prior to application, criminal records, proficiency in Irish or English; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54522/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that all applications for a certificate of naturalisation are assessed individually based on the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

Applicants are required to have 5 years reckonable residence in the State prior to making an application, except for spouses of Irish nationals where the requirement is 3 years.

As part of the naturalisation application process, an applicant is required to detail any offences they have, regardless of where an incident occurred, or how long ago.

Given the importance of citizenship, my Department also undertakes robust and comprehensive national and international checks on applications, including the Garda e-vetting process, or any other police vetting processes as deemed necessary. All applicants are required to satisfy the good character criterion under Section 15 of the 1956 Act.

At present, no language proficiency requirements apply with respect to naturalisation applications.

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to publish a National Migration and Integration Strategy detailing how the Government intends to meet the demands and opportunities facing Ireland’s society and economy over the next decade. My Department is currently working with other Government Departments to develop this strategy with the aim to publish it in 2026.

I can inform the Deputy that immigration legislation, including that relating to naturalisation, is kept under constant review by my Department.