Written Answers Nos. 349-359
349. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Justice the expected timeline to publish the report of an independent review of the voluntary mess committees in prisons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15647/22]
View answerI am informed that the independent review of the voluntary mess committees in prisons is nearing completion. However, pending completion of the review by the independent reviewer, I am not able to provide a specific timeline for publication, but it is expected to be shortly.
350. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current and expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15709/22]
View answerThe person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 3 immigration permission, which is valid until 24 September 2022.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
351. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); when the application will be finalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15710/22]
View answerA proposal to grant the application of a certificate of naturalisation in respect of the person referred to by the Deputy was issued by my Department on 21 March 2022. This is subject to the completion and submission of the Declaration of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State and the statutory fee and other required documents. Upon receipt of this, the application will be finalised.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
352. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current and expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied);; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15711/22]
View answerThe person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 4 permission, which has been extended until 31 May 2022, under the automatic extension of immigration permissions I announced on 17 December 2021. All permissions are extended on the same terms and conditions to the permission already held.
It is open to the person concerned to contact their local Immigration Office before 31 May 2022 to apply for a further renewal of their immigration permission. I strongly recommend that they make efforts to renew their permission as early as possible rather than waiting until May when demand for appointments will be significantly greater.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
353. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice when visa applications in the case of persons (details supplied) will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15712/22]
View answerI am pleased to advise the Deputy that the visa applications referred to were granted on 13 December 2021.
It is important to note that any non EU/EEA nationals who wish to remain for longer than 90 days must register with their local immigration office and apply for further permission to remain before their initial permission to remain expires. Full details of the Registration process can be found at the link below:
www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-register-your-immigration-permission-for-the-first-time/requirements-and-documents-needed/.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), 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 is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
354. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); when it is expected to finalise the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15713/22]
View answerI am pleased to advise the Deputy that the citizenship application of the person referred to was approved and their Certificate of Naturalisation was issued by my Department on 2 February 2022.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
355. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); when it is intended to bring the application to a conclusion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15714/22]
View answerAs advised to the Deputy in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 395 of 3 February 2022, the citizenship application of the person referred to was approved and their Certificate of Naturalisation was issued by my Department on 10 December 2021.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
356. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of eligibility for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); when it is expected to finalise the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15715/22]
View answerI am pleased to advise the Deputy that the citizenship application of the person referred to was approved and their Certificate of Naturalisation was issued by my Department on 11 January 2022.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
357. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied);; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15716/22]
View answerA proposal to grant the application of a certificate of naturalisation in respect of the person referred to by the Deputy was issued by my Department on 8 March 2022. This is subject to the completion and submission of the Declaration of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State and the statutory fee and other required documents. Upon receipt of this, the application will be finalised.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
358. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); if the relevant stamp can be updated in the interim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15717/22]
View answerThe application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as soon as possible.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour 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.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
My Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times.
Last year, my Department made 11,512 citizenship decisions, which is the highest level since 2015. Additional staff have also been assigned to the citizenship team.
The person referred to by the Deputy also made an application for a permanent residence card as a family member of an EU citizen. This application was granted on 22 March 2022 and the person was advised to attend at their local registration office to obtain the Permanent Residence Document of a family member of a United Kingdom national (Stamp4).
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
359. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied);; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15718/22]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that the person referred to was granted leave to remain by my Department under Stamp 1 conditions up to 5 January 2024.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), 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 is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
