Vol. 519 No. 3
212 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform whether it is now taking two years to process applications for Irish citizenship, the reason in this regard; and the steps he will take to put in place a more efficient system. [13898/00]
The length of time taken to finalise an application for naturalisation is currently approximately two years. While I appreciate that this may appear to be a long time, it reflects the high volume of applications received, the various procedures involved in processing applications and the pressure on resources in the immigration and citizenship division of my Department.
My Department is currently reviewing all aspects of the situation with a view to reducing the processing time involved in citizenship work and improving the service provided.
