Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 May 2010
80 Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if an application for naturalisation in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick will be processed without further delay. [18413/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraA valid application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Division of my Department in November 2008.
All valid applications are dealt with in chronological order as this is deemed to be the fairest to all applicants.The average processing time from application to decision is now at 26 months. More complicated cases can at times take more than the current average, while an element of straight forward cases can be dealt with in less than that timescale. Additional resources have been allocated to the Citizenship Division of my Department in order to reduce backlogs and provide a better quality service to all applicants. This has had a positive impact on processing times and has enabled certain categories of applicant to be dealt with more expeditiously. These include refugees, spouses of Irish citizens and minors. Officials in the Citizenship Division inform me that processing of the application is at an advanced stage and the file will be submitted to me for a decision in due course.
The length of time taken to process each application should not be classified as a delay, as the length of time taken for any application to be decided is purely a function of the time taken to carry out necessary checks. There is a limit to the reduction in the processing time that can be achieved as applications for naturalisation must be processed in a way which preserves the necessary checks and balances to ensure that it is not undervalued and is only given to persons who genuinely satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria.
81 Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if an application for naturalisation will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [18426/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraA valid application for a certificate of naturalisation from the first named person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Division of my Department in February 2008. Officials in the Citizenship Division inform me that processing of the application is in the final stages and the file will be submitted to me for a decision in the near future.
A valid application for a certificate of naturalisation from the second named person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Division of my Department in November 2008.
All valid applications are dealt with in chronological order as this is deemed to be the fairest to all applicants.The average processing time from application to decision is now at 26 months. More complicated cases can at times take more than the current average, while an element of straight forward cases can be dealt with in less than that timescale.
The length of time taken to process each application should not be classified as a delay, as the length of time taken for any application to be decided is purely a function of the time taken to carry out necessary checks. There is a limit to the reduction in the processing time that can be achieved as applications for naturalisation must be processed in a way which preserves the necessary checks and balances to ensure that it is not undervalued and is only given to persons who genuinely satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria.
82 Deputy Ulick Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason for the delay in processing an application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick who applied for naturalisation in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18454/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraA valid application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Division of my Department in October 2008.
All valid applications are dealt with in chronological order as this is deemed to be the fairest to all applicants.The average processing time from application to decision is now at 26 months. More complicated cases can at times take more than the current average, while an element of straight forward cases can be dealt with in less than that timescale. However, I understand that the person concerned is a refugee. In accordance with the Government's obligations under the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, every effort is made to ensure that applications from persons with refugee status are dealt with as quickly as possible. Officials in the Citizenship Division inform me that processing of the application is at an advanced stage and the file will be submitted to me for a decision in due course.
The length of time taken to process each application should not be classified as a delay, as the length of time taken for any application to be decided is purely a function of the time taken to carry out necessary checks. There is a limit to the reduction in the processing time that can be achieved as applications for naturalisation must be processed in a way which preserves the necessary checks and balances to ensure that it is not undervalued and is only given to persons who genuinely satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria.
83 Deputy Ulick Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason for the delay in processing a citizenship application (details supplied) in County Galway who applied for naturalisation in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18455/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Division of my Department in March 2009.
The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended, provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation provided certain statutory conditions are fulfilled. One such condition is that the person in question intends in good faith to continue to reside in the State after naturalisation. In the application submitted, the person concerned answered Question 6.1 by stating that she did not intend to reside in the State after naturalisation, therefore she does not comply with this condition.
Consequently, the Citizenship Division of my Department have deemed her application ineligible. The person in question was informed of this decision in a letter issued to her on 10 March, 2009.
It is open to the person in question to re-submit the application to the Citizenship Division of my Department at any time.
