Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 June 2012
688 Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason an application for citizenship which was submitted in 2007 is still outstanding in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford, with the last correspondence received by the applicant being in 2011 and stating that the matter would be resolved expediently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26967/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy in August, 2007.
The application is at an advanced stage of processing and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. Considerable resources are deployed to process applications and these resources together with the necessary administrative arrangements are kept under review.
As well as being a significant event in the life of its recipient, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation as provided for in law is also a major step for the State which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
It is a statutory requirement that, inter alia, applicants for naturalisation be of good character. In some instances that can be established relatively quickly and in other cases completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
