Section 15(1) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended in 1986, sets out the conditions which an applicant for naturalisation must comply with. One of these conditions requires that the Minister is satisfied that an applicant is of full age. Consequently, as the person referred to by the Deputy is a minor, he cannot make an application on his own behalf at this time.
However, section 16(b) of the Act provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant a certificate of naturalisation, although the conditions or any of them are not complied with “where the applicant is a parent or guardian acting on behalf of a minor of Irish descent or Irish associations”. The parent of the minor referred to in the Deputy's question is, therefore, entitled to make an application for naturalisation on his behalf. It will be necessary to submit details of the minor's Irish descent or Irish associations with the application.
The relevant application form may be obtained from the citizenship section of my Department by telephoning the citizenship helpline, telephone number 01-602 8202, on any Tuesday and Thursday morning between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12.30 p.m.