I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that no record exists of any application in respect of the child referred to by the Deputy.
The Citizenship Division of INIS informs me that the child in question is not currently entitled to Irish citizenship and this is confirmed in recent legal advices on the matter generally. An application for citizenship through naturalisation can of course be submitted when the conditions for naturalisation are met. Detailed information on citizenship and naturalisation is contained on the INIS website - www.inis.gov.ie.
It may also be open to the parent referred to by the Deputy to apply for family reunification on behalf of the child. Information in this regard is also available on the INIS website.
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 might 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.