Written Answers Nos. 180-188
180. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when a family (details supplied) in County Mayo will have their asylum application confirmed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8606/14]
View answerIf the persons whose details were supplied have made applications for asylum or subsidiary protection, the position is that it is not the practice to comment on such applications for so long as they are in the protection process.
181. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the cost of applying for citizenship for an EU citizen who is married to an Irish national. [8610/14]
View answerThe Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011 set out the prescribed fees to be paid by an applicant for a certificate of naturalisation. An application fee of €175 is payable by all applicants for a certificate of naturalisation. A certification fee is payable by applicants on the issue of a certificate of naturalisation. 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 cases where the application is made by a widow, widower or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen. In the case of refugees and stateless persons the certification fee is nil. The standard certification fee is payable where the applicant is the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen, whether they are an EU citizen or a national of another country.
The standard fees payable by an applicant are designed to reflect the effort and cost involved in processing applications for a certificate of naturalisation. Every application, including those made on the basis of marriage to an Irish citizen, must be assessed to establish if the statutory requirements are met. The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
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 dignity and occasion that serves to underscore the importance to both the State and the applicant of the granting of Irish citizenship.
182. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current or expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8624/14]
View answerThe position as outlined in recent responses to Parliamentary Questions No. 181 of 23 January and No. 524 of 4 February in relation to the person whose details were supplied remains unchanged.
183. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current residency status in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8626/14]
View answerThe position as outlined in recent responses to Parliamentary Questions No. 187 of 23 January and No. 525 of 4 February in relation to the person whose details were supplied remains unchanged.
184. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding the submission made by An Garda Síochána to enforce a ban on shotguns which are capable of holding more than three rounds. [8648/14]
View answerIn relation to possible changes to firearms licensing I refer the Deputy to my reply to questions 6692/14 and 6776/14 of 11 February 2014, questions 6989/14, 7049/14 and 7126/14 of 12 February, and questions 7552/14, 7554/14, 7555/14 and 8138/14 of 18 February. The position is unchanged since then.
Reply to questions 6692/14 and 6776/14 of 11 February, questions 6989/14, 7049/14 and 7126/14 of 12 February, and questions 7552/14, 7554/14, 7555/14 and 8138/14 of 18 February:
My Department is currently examining key issues relating to firearms licensing in conjunction with An Garda Síochána. I expect to receive recommendations as a result of this process in due course. No decisions will be made in advance of consideration of these recommendations. However, the issue of public safety will be paramount in such consideration.
Opportunities for consultation with relevant stakeholders will be explored when work on the proposals is further advanced.
185. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of drivers arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol from November 2011 to date in 2014; the number of these drivers whose blood alcohol level did not exceed 80 mg and who were served with fixed charge notices; and of those served with fixed charge notices the number of drivers who paid the fixed charge notice and accepted the other associated penalties under the Road Traffic Act 2010. [8656/14]
View answer186. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of drivers arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol from November 2011 to date in 2014; the number of these drivers whose blood alcohol level did not exceed 100 mg and who were served with fixed charge notices; and of those served with fixed charge notices for having a blood alcohol level not exceeding 100 mg if he will provide the number of drivers who paid the fixed charge notice and accepted the other associated penalties under the Road Traffic Act 2010. [8658/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 185 and 186 together.
I have requested a report from the Garda authorities in relation to the information sought by the Deputy and I will contact him directly as soon as the report is to hand.
187. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when a decision will be made on an application seeking permission to remain in the State in respect of a person (details supplied) who is experiencing financial hardship while awaiting the decision and in the circumstances if he will expedite a decision. [8665/14]
View answerIn May, 2013, the person concerned applied for a right of residency in the State, accompanied by a right to work, based on her parentage of an Irish born minor citizen child, and based also on the principles of the Zambrano Judgment. This application is under consideration at present.
In the event that all information and documentation required to make a decision is on file then it can be taken that a decision will be made as soon as possible. Once a decision has been made, this will be notified in writing. In the event, however, that all information and documentation required to make a decision is not on file then the relevant personnel in the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service will be in contact with the person concerned to advise on what additional information or documentation may be required.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
188. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he has established an information officer; if this person is in charge of developing and implementing data protection in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8748/14]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that while my Department has assigned overarching responsibility for freedom of information requests as well as requests for personal data under the data protection regime to a particular officer, it has not formally designated an official with the title of "information officer". However, my Department has recently agreed a blueprint for record and data management and related issues and has assigned implementation to a senior responsible officer. It is the intention of the Department, over the next two years, to review and refresh all areas relating to the management of data within the Department. In the short to medium term this will include consideration of extending the role of the current officer to encompass a broader remit along the lines suggested in the Deputy's question. It has to be acknowledged that while a great deal can be done in this area with the use of modern information technology, additional human resources may also be needed. The Deputy will appreciate that there are competing demands for resources and that additional human resources are not available at present. However, the Department is examining how best this area can be developed and progressed within the existing resource constraints.
