Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2012
493 Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the fees payable by each of the 4,000 new Irish persons in respect of the swearing in ceremony at the National Convention Centre in Dublin; the amount in fees that was paid as part of the application process prior to that; the total amount payable from this process; the amount of these funds are utilised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28016/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn June 2011 I introduced formal citizenship ceremonies for the first time since the foundation of the State. The ceremonies which are being met with universal approval and are held at no extra cost to applicants allow candidates for citizenship make their declaration of fidelity to the Irish nation and loyalty to the State and receive their certificate of naturalisation in a meaningful and dignified manner which befits the importance and solemnity of the occasion. To date, 47 such ceremonies have been held at which almost 11,000 candidates have become Irish citizens under the new procedures. On 14 June a further 4,000 persons will conferred with Irish citizenship.
The prescribed fees to be paid by applicants on the issue of a certificate of naturalisation were last increased by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Fees) Regulations 2008, which came into effect on 1 August 2008. The standard certification fee is €950 while a reduced fee of €200 applies in the case of an application made on behalf of a minor or in certain circumstances when the application is made by a widow, widower or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen. In the case of refugees and stateless persons no fee is charged. The increases in certification fees were in line with inflation for the period 1993 to 2008. While the fees are designed to reflect the effort and cost involved in processing the different categories of applicant, the certification fees do not recoup the full cost of processing the applications.
In November 2011, I signed into law Statutory Instrument 569/11, which introduced an application fee of €175 for new applications for a certificate of naturalisation. The application fee was introduced to contribute towards the costs of processing those applications that do not attract any certification fee and to reduce the proportion of invalid and ineligible applications being lodged. The Statutory Instrument also introduced a series of changes to the application forms, in particular to facilitate applicants who are the civil partners of Irish citizens. Prior to the enactment of these regulations no fee was paid in advance of a person being naturalised.
