There has been a 325% increase in the volume of applications for a certificate of naturalisation from 4,500 in 2005 and 9,500 in 2008 to the level in recent years of just under 20,000 per annum. Clearly, the dramatic increase in volume over those years impacted on the capacity of the administrative system to process them and gave rise to a large volume of cases on hand and to a situation where most cases were taking well over two years to complete. When I came into office there was a backlog of about 22,000 cases on hands. I undertook to address this issue and, in this regard, a major effort has been and continues to be made in reducing the time taken to process applications. Since my appointment, I have made decisions on some 73,000 naturalisation applications.
As the Deputy will appreciate, as well as being a significant event in the life of its recipient, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation as provided for in law is also a major step for the State which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process. All applications are processed with a view to establishing whether the applicants meet the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation, such as good character and lawful residence, and are submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. In some instances that can be established relatively quickly and in other cases completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time. Over 70% of all applications are now being decided in under six months, a remarkable achievement given routine applications were taking four times longer even though there were far fewer applications. Approximately 9,600 applications are currently awaiting a decision.
The detailed information sought by the Deputy in relation to the years in question is being compiled and will be conveyed to him as soon as possible.
