Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 April 2018
578. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality to set out the number of certificates of naturalisation that have been granted to UK citizens by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service in the past 20 years. [16514/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the retrieval and compilation of the information requested by the Deputy for each of the past twenty years would necessitate a disproportionate use of time and resources which could not be justified in circumstances where the priority is to deal with the cases on hand. Information can, however, be provided for the seven years 2011 to 2017 inclusive as outlined in the following table:
|
Year |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
|
Applications Granted to UK citizens |
70 |
85 |
55 |
51 |
54 |
98 |
529 |
The recent significant increase in certificates of naturalisation granted to UK citizens is attributed to the Brexit referendum which led to UK nationals, some living in the jurisdiction for lengthy periods of time, to apply for Irish citizenship. The number of applications received from UK nationals continued to increase in 2017 and this year to date, albeit from a very low base prior to the referendum.
