In my response to Question No. 765 on 26 January last, I informed the Deputy that an application for leave to remain by the person in question had been received in my Department in December 2004 and would take 16 months to finalise.
In November 2004, a declaration of acceptance of Irish citizenship as post-nuptial citizenship was lodged with the citizenship section of my Department. The letter dated 1 December to which the Deputy now refers, acknowledged receipt of this declaration and informed the applicant that the processing time for such declarations was ten months.
Leave to remain and post-nuptial citizenship are two entirely different processes and are administered by two different sections in the immigration and citizenship division of my Department.