Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 March 2013
439. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the purpose for which a variable fee is charged for citizenship under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011; the amount raised per year from these fees; and the way these funds are used. [15107/13]
View answer440. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason foreign nationals living in Ireland, who are eligible for Irish citizenship through the naturalisation process, may pay up to €1,125 in fees to avail of this process; the breakdown of the costs incurred by his Department in facilitating a naturalisation request per person; his plans to reduce the fees paid by foreign nationals living here who want to become Irish citizens through naturalisation. [15108/13]
View answer443. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the purpose for which a variable fee is charged for citizenship under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011; the amount raised per year from these fees and the way these funds are used. [15116/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 439, 440 and 443 together.
The prescribed certification fees to be paid by applicants on the issue of a certificate of naturalisation were last increased by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Fees) Regulations 2008, which came into effect on 1st August 2008. The fee increases introduced at that time merely brought the amounts in line with inflation since the previous increase in 1993. The standard certification fee is €950 while a reduced fee of €200 applies in the case of an application made on behalf of a minor or in certain circumstances when the application is made by a widow, widower or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen. In the case of refugees and stateless persons no certification fee is charged. I consider it appropriate that the fee is reduced or eliminated for these categories of applicants.
In November 2011, I signed into law Statutory Instrument 569/11, which introduced an application fee of €175 for new applications for a certificate of naturalisation. Managing and dealing with incomplete applications consumes scarce processing resources and the application fee is designed to recoup some of the costs associated with the application process. The application fee is also intended to help cover costs associated with the processing of unsuccessful applications that often consume more processing time and resources than successful applications, but which previously attracted no fee.
The costs incurred in facilitating each naturalisation request are very complex as multiple external agencies, such as the Gardaí, and divisions within my Department provide services at various times to the Citizenship Division. The fees are therefore designed to reflect the effort and cost involved in processing applications for a certificate of naturalisation. These costs cannot be readily identified without engaging in a major and time consuming exercise which I do not believe would be warranted at a time of shrinking resources.
Efforts to eliminate the backlog of applications, including allocation of additional resources to this work both within the Department and in external agencies, have been very successful and has resulted in an increase in fee revenue, with some €17 million being lodged to the Exchequer in 2012.
As the Deputy will be aware I have introduced formal citizenship ceremonies at no extra cost to applicants. These have been universally well received by participants as the ceremonies provide a sense of occasion that serves to underscore the importance to both the State and the applicant of the granting of Irish citizenship. I have no plans to alter either the application or certification fee at this time.
