Vol. 529 No. 1
1024 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when a decision will be made in respect of an application for naturalisation made by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1484/01]
An application for naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was received in my Department in June 1999.
Due to the various procedures involved in processing an application for a certificate of naturalisation in respect of a person of full age, together with the high number of applications being received, the average processing time at present is approximately two and a half years.
Extra resources have recently been allocated to the Immigration and Citizenship division of my Department with a view to, inter alia, reducing the time involved in processing naturalisation applications. These resources will impact considerably on present delays.
As soon as full consideration has been given to this application, I will advise both the applicant and the Deputy of my decision.
1025 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a decision on an application for naturalisation submitted by a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1485/01]
The application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was submitted to this Department in December 1998.
Having considered the application under the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Acts, 1956 and 1986, I decided not to grant a certificate of naturalisation and the person referred to was informed in writing of this decision on 10 October 2000.
It is regretted that due to an administrative oversight, the Deputy was not informed of the outcome. It is open to the applicant to apply again in the future in the event of a change of circumstances.
