Michael Finucane
Question:450 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Justice the number of passports that were issued under the revised guidelines of the business migration scheme during 1995; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1409/96]
Written Answers. - Business Migration Scheme Passports.
Five non-nationals were naturalised in 1995 in accordance with the procedures in place since July 1994 for processing investment based naturalisation applications. For the Deputy's information, these procedures require, inter-alia, that each application be subject to a rigorous assessment by an interdepartmental advisory group which makes a recommendation to me whether or not naturalisation should be granted, that each applicant invest a minimum of £1 million in an Irish company for the purpose of saving/creating jobs, that he or she be of good character, and so on.
In addition to these five cases, another 11 persons were also naturalised in 1995 on foot of their investments in the State. The 11 persons in question were from a group of 29 applicants whose applications had been approved by the previous Minister prior to the establishment of the July 1994 procedures referred to above. I authorised the release of their certificates of naturalisation during the last year after I was satisfied that the persons in question had made their investments and fulfilled the other obligations imposed on them at the time their applications has been approved in 1994.