The persons concerned claimed asylum in this State on 2 July 2001 and had their claims examined by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner who recommended that the persons concerned should be recognised as refugees.
Based on this recommendation the persons concerned were issued with formal declarations of refugee status by letters dated 29 July 2002. This communication also advised the persons concerned of their rights and entitlements accompanying refugee status in the State. The persons concerned continue to hold the status of refugees in the State.
Valid applications for certificates of naturalisation from the persons referred to in the Deputy's Question were received in the Citizenship Division of my Department in August & December 2009.
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.