asked the Minister for Justice under what circumstances a person (name supplied) was granted Irish citizenship.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Grant of Irish Citizenship.
33.
The person concerned was naturalised on 26th August, 1954, having had nearly six years residence here by that time.
I assume that the point of the question is that a statutory requirement in the granting of naturalisation is that the Minister must be satisfied that the applicant is of good character whereas, before his arrival here, this applicant had come into conflict in a serious way with the law of his own country. However, the Departmental records indicate that the man concerned was presumed by the then Minister to have acted from political motives as a Flemish nationalist and on that basis was allowed to settle here and was subsequently naturalised.
As there is abundant evidence that this man, Albert Luykx——
The Deputy should not mention any individual. It is totally out of order to mention individuals in the House.
——is a convicted Nazi criminal who escaped from prison, was sentenced to death and it was commuted to a life sentence, he escaped and he is on the wanted list of the Belgian authorities, does the Minister think it right that this man should remain in this country?
This man is now naturalised as an Irish citizen. While he remains an Irish citizen it would not be open to me to deport him but the facts which the Deputy points out with regard to this man's previous record were known, at the time he was naturalised, to the then Minister, the late Deputy Everett, and the fact that he had been condemned to death for his activities was taken into account by Deputy Everett in coming to a decision to naturalise him. I understand that these matters were also known to a previous Minister for Justice in 1948 when that Minister decided to give the man political asylum at the time.
Is the Minister aware that there are quite a number of Flemish nationalists here and that this man is not an isolated case?
I understand that a number of these people came in at the time but I am not to be taken as saying, Sir, that any of the others was condemned to death for collaboration with the Nazis. I think it would be unfair to imply that.
Question No. 34.
May I ask the Minister whether he has investigated the original case relating to this man? Has he examined the original declaration made by the man?
I have.
In view of the fact that he made a false declaration as has been suggested, and also the fact that he was involved recently in political activities which were against the interest of this State would the Minister not think there is enough evidence now to justify his deportation or are we going to have in this country people who remain on the wanted lists of other countries with whom we are on friendly terms?
The man made a false declaration in Holland on his own admission. In his own statement that was made by him here after his entry into the country he admitted that he came in on a Dutch passport in the name of Franciscus Josef Faes having secured that passport from the Dutch authorities on false identity papers in Holland after he had escaped from prison in Belgium in 1948. I am looking into the question of whether or not some of the declarations he made in the application for naturalisation were false and I would then, if satisfied on that, consider the question of the revocation or otherwise of his naturalisation. The Deputy will appreciate that unless I revoked his naturalisation it would not be open to me to deport him.
Question No. 34.
May I ask the Minister if a person so naturalised engaged in activities contrary to the interest of the State would that warrant revocation of the original order granting his naturalisation?
That is a matter on which I would have to get legal advice. It is open to some doubt one way or the other. I would not like to be dogmatic about it.
At what point in time did it become known to the present Government that the application for citizenship was of a dubious character?
The application for citizenship was granted in 1954 and all the facts which are now known about this man's pre-1948 activities were known then to the then Minister, Deputy Everett, when he decided to naturalise him.
Have we extradition arrangements with Belgium?
We have, so far as I know, but the Deputy is under a misapprehension if he thinks that I can deport a citizen of this country. I cannot deport an Irish citizen.
If he made false declarations originally is it not enough to warrant deportation?
He certainly made false declarations, on his own admission, in Holland and I am looking into the question of whether or not he made them here also.
Question No. 34. We cannot discuss this question all evening.
It is a very serious matter if we have convicted Nazi criminals seeking asylum in this country——
We cannot have a speech from the Deputy.
(Interruptions.)
The individual is not here to defend himself. The Deputy may not attack identifiable people.
We do not want to see them. I know this particular man was visited in 1969 by Belgian Brosedenbord members who share his political views.
The Deputy is abusing the privileges of this House in attacking a private individual.
He is a Nazi criminal.
Would the Minister for Justice take it that there is no desire on the part of the people of this country that any witch-hunt, of any kind, should be established at this point about this man? In fact, I am rather amazed that this man should be dragged up at this point of time. The alleged Nazi criminality is not yet proved.