asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, discriminates against women in not granting the same rights to Irish women who marry aliens; and the action he proposes to take to remedy this matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act.
36.
A woman who is an alien at the date of her marriage to a man who is an Irish citizen otherwise than by naturalisation may become an Irish citizen simply by completing and lodging a prescribed form. An alien man has no corresponding right.
I have no proposals in mind for any change in the Act and I would point out that if alien men who are married to Irish citizens could, as of right, acquire Irish citizenship and thus an unrestricted right to live and work here, the result in the long run could be significant for the employment possibilities of other Irish citizens.
The Deputy might be interested to know that our law in this regard is similar to that of several other countries, including Britain. Any change in the position might make it necessary to have a fundamental reappraisal of our approach to the question of naturalisation and citizenship and, because of the complex consequences, which include problems of multiple citizenship, I do not think a change could be contemplated except in the context of an international agreement.