The person to whom the Deputy refers and a number of family members were approved for naturalisation by a previous Minister for Justice under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended in 1986. Given the ministerial discretion which is embodied in that Act regarding the granting of certificates of naturalisation, it is not for me to determine the basis on which that discretion was exercised. The names and addresses of the indi viduals concerned appeared in Iris Oifigiúil on 1 and 8 September 1992. It has been long standing practice in my Department that details of individual applications for naturalisation, apart from those which are published in Iris Oifigiuil, are treated as confidential and I do not intend to depart from that practice on this occasion. I am aware of newspaper reports which comprehend the circumstances outlined in the Deputy's question. In so far as the current worldwide investigations into the recent atrocities in the United States are concerned, the Garda is assisting in the investigations and it would not be prudent to comment on specific aspects of them at this time.
Section 21 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, empowers me to revoke certificates of naturalisation if I am satisfied that the issue of the certificate was procured by fraud, misrepresentation, whether innocent or fraudulent, or concealment of material facts or circumstances; that the person to whom it was granted has, by any overt act, shown himself to have failed in his duty of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State; that, except in the case of a person of Irish descent or associations, the person to whom it is granted has been ordinarily resident outside Ireland, otherwise than in the public service, for a continuous period of seven years and without reasonable excuse has not during that period registered annually in the prescribed manner his name and a declaration of his intention to retain Irish citizenship with an Irish diplomatic mission or consular office or with the Minister; that the person to whom it is granted is also, under the law of a country at war with the State, a citizen of that country; or that the person to whom it is granted has by any voluntary act other than marriage acquired another citizenship.
The Deputy can be assured that if the circumstances of any particular case warrant revocation under these provisions, I will have no hesitation in doing so.
