Written Answers Nos. 546-565
546. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress that has been made to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); when the application is expected to be finalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52802/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Citizenship Division of my Department that correspondence was issued to the person referred to by the Deputy on 19 October 2022, requesting additional documents. As soon as these are received, the application will continue to be processed.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour 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 recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
However, my Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times.
In 2021, my Department issued 11,512 citizenship decisions, which is the highest number of decisions made since 2015, and reflects positively the significant changes undertaken to date.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
547. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Justice if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52907/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn relation to making a visa application to travel to Ireland, a visa required national that wishes to enter the State and remain for up to 90 days must have a Type C Short Stay Visa. A visa required national that wishes to reside in the State for longer than 90 days must have a Type D Long Stay Visa.
Any person that wishes to make a visa application must do so online at:
www.visas.inis.gov.ie/avats/OnlineHome.aspx.
Upon creating an on-line visa application, the summary sheet must be printed and signed by the applicant and then submitted to the relevant Visa Office, along with supporting documentation & the relevant fee, within 30 days. The summary form contains some of the information the applicant has entered. It will also contain instructions on what they are required to do next in order to submit their documentation and pay the relevant fee.
In the case outlined by the Deputy, the person concerned can submit their application through the VFS centre in Minsk. The application is then forwarded by VFS to the Visa Office at the Embassy in Moscow. There is no requirement for the person to travel to Moscow in person. Applying for a visa through VFS is the normal process, the Visa Office only accept visa applications in person at the Embassy under exceptional circumstances.
Ireland does not participate in the Schengen Visa agreement, and any visa required national that has a Schengen Visa, would still be required to apply for the appropriate Irish visa to allow them travel to the state.
548. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current and or expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52922/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that a decision in relation to the person's residency in the State will issue to the person concerned by registered post shortly.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
549. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress that has been made to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52924/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Citizenship Division of my Department that this application for naturalisation continues to be processed and that correspondence has recently issued to the applicant referred to by the Deputy.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour 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 recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
However, my Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times.
In 2021, my Department issued 11,512 citizenship decisions, which is the highest number of decisions made since 2015, and reflects positively the significant changes undertaken to date.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
550. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if her Department will overturn convictions for brothel-keeping on individuals who have subsequently been identified as victims of trafficking; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52930/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, Part 4 of the Sexual Offences Act 2017 introduced two new offences - paying for sexual activity with a prostitute and paying for sexual activity with a trafficked person.
It also removed those who offer their services as a prostitute from the existing offences of soliciting for the purpose of prostitution and increased the penalty provided for in section 11 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 for brothel keeping.
One of the purposes of these measures was to provide additional protection to people involved in prostitution, especially vulnerable people and victims of human trafficking. These measures allow people working in prostitution to provide information to the Gardaí on, for example, violence towards them by clients, without risking prosecution for selling sexual services.
The increase in the maximum penalty for brothel keeping was in recognition of the fact that those involved in the running of brothels often exploit vulnerable people for commercial gain and have links to organised crime. There are concerns that decriminalising brothel-keeping could create a loophole open to abuse by criminal gangs and others who wish to profit from prostitution.
In line with these legislative changes, last year I announced an initiative to expunge previous convictions for ‘sale of sex’, or prostitution offences. The expunging provision when drafted will be limited to convictions for an offence under section 7 or 8 of the Act of Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 where the person was convicted on the basis of evidence that they were offering their services as a prostitute to another person.
A conviction for the offence of brothel keeping will not be expunged under the expungement initiative as it remains a criminal offence.
The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 provided for a review of Part 4 of the Act which is currently underway. I will carefully examine any recommendations of the review and progress appropriate actions.
551. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to that has been made to date in the determination of applications in the case of persons (details supplied); when the applications will be finalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52935/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can inform the Deputy that following full consideration by a Visa Officer, the visa applications you refer to were refused. Letters issued to the applicants on 9 September 2022 outline the reasons for these refusals.
An appeals process, which is free of charge, is available which allows applicants, in the event of a refusal of the application at first instance, to address the factors which gave rise to that decision. Appeals must be in written form and sent to the Visa Appeals Officer in the relevant Visa Office within two months of the date of the refusal. Faxed or emailed appeals will not be considered.
As no appeal has been received within the two month period these applications cannot be considered further. However, should any person, who has been refused a visa, wish to make another application at a future point, their application will be assessed on its own merits taking all relevant information into consideration at that time. Their prior immigration history is a matter of record but does not preclude them from seeking a visa in the future.
Long Stay Join Family visa applications are processed in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification. This policy document may be accessed at the following link:
www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Policy-document-on-Non-EEA-family-reunification.pdf
All visa applicants are advised that the onus is on them to provide as much information in support of their application as they feel is necessary. Guidelines in this regard are posted on our website. Applicants that meticulously follow these guidelines have an improved prospect of receiving a positive decision at first instance.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), 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 is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
552. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Justice the provisions that are in place for the urgent return of passports in the case of persons (details supplied) when making a short stay business visa application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52938/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen applying for a visa, an applicant must submit their current passport and this must be valid for at least 6 months after the date the applicant plans to leave Ireland. The visa office will also require a photocopy of each page from all previous passports where available. The application will be delayed if the applicant does not provide copies of all previous passports available.
As part of the application process, the visa office usually retains an applicant's passport for the duration of the application, as the visa office will place the visa sticker in the passport if the application is successful. However if an applicant wishes to have their passport returned while the process is ongoing, they may contact the visa office by email and request their passport be returned, including reasons why they would need it returned.
The Ankara Visa Office can be contacted at the following address:
visaankara@dfa.ie.
The visa office will contact the applicant when a decision has been made, asking them to return their passport if successful, so that the visa can be attached. The Deputy may wish to note that the current processing time for business visas in the Ankara Visa Office is just under 4 weeks.
553. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice the current occupancy rate in all of the State prisons; her views on the capacity in the Prison Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52969/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed by my officials in the Prison Service that the total number of prisoners in custody on Monday 24th October, 2022 was 4,266 compared with a bed capacity of 4,471. This represents an occupancy level of 96%.
As the Deputy will be aware the Government has made available significant capital funding to the Irish Prison Service in order to enhance the existing prison infrastructure, eliminate the practice known as slopping out, and to provide additional capacity.
The Deputy will also be aware of the works completed in recent years to modernise the entire Mountjoy Prison complex, the construction of a new prison in Cork and the provision of additional prisoner accommodation in the Midlands Prison.
This year, the Irish Prison Service reopened the newly refurbished Training Unit Place of Detention as a centre for older prisoners and this has provided an additional 96 prisoner spaces. The construction of a new male wing and a female prison is currently underway in Limerick Prison and will provide 90 additional male and 22 additional female cell spaces. The new male accommodation is expected to become operational by the end of 2022 with the standalone female prison to become operational in Q1 2023.
Significant growth has been experienced in the remand prison population in recent years which has resulted in pressures on remand prison facilities including Cloverhill Prison. The Irish Prison Service is currently undertaking a strategic assessment exercise on the potential for additional accommodation at Cloverhill Prison in line with the requirements of the Public Spending Code.
Separately, the Programme for Government 2020 contains a broad range of policies and proposals that represent a coherent approach to enhancing and sustaining a more just and safe society, with a specific commitment to review policy options for prison and penal reform. In respect of delivering on this commitment, I recently published the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024.
The review seeks to find the balance between ensuring that people who commit serious crimes receive a punishment and a period of incarceration proportionate to that crime, while at the same time acknowledging that sometimes community based sanctions are more appropriate in diverting offenders away from future criminal activity.
Sentencing is a matter solely within the discretion of the trial judge, having regard to the circumstances of the case and of the accused and subject to any limits as may be prescribed by law for a particular offence. While these proposals cannot change this, they are intended to strengthen the options available to judges when they are considering cases, to facilitate the effective and efficient use of community sanctions by the courts, and to ensure that the courts have a wide range of appropriate options for dealing with people who have committed minor offences.
In addition, as part of delivering the Penal Policy action plan, the need to ensure the continued availability of modern prison facilities with adequate capacity will continue to be central to the work of the Irish Prison Service and will be core to the development of the new Irish Prison Service Capital Strategy 2023.
554. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí by rank attached to each divisional roads policing unit as of 30 April 2021 and 18 October 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53000/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of Garda resources between the various Garda Divisions. As Minister I have no role in this matter. I can assure the Deputy however that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs.
The tables below, furnished to me by the Garda authorities, set out the information requested by the Deputy as of 20 September 2022, the latest date for which it is available:
Personnel strength for Garda Roads Policing as at 30 September 2022
|
Division |
Inspector |
Sergeant |
Garda |
Total |
|
Cavan/Monaghan |
0 |
2 |
14 |
16 |
|
Clare |
0 |
3 |
16 |
19 |
|
Cork City |
1 |
2 |
28 |
31 |
|
Cork North |
0 |
1 |
20 |
21 |
|
Cork West |
0 |
4 |
18 |
22 |
|
D.M.R. Roads Policing |
2 |
9 |
82 |
93 |
|
D.M.R.E. |
0 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
|
D.M.R.N. |
0 |
3 |
11 |
14 |
|
D.M.R.N.C |
0 |
2 |
17 |
19 |
|
D.M.R.S. |
0 |
1 |
9 |
10 |
|
D.M.R.S.C. |
0 |
1 |
14 |
15 |
|
D.M.R.W. |
0 |
2 |
13 |
15 |
|
Donegal |
0 |
1 |
26 |
27 |
|
Galway |
1 |
4 |
33 |
38 |
|
Kerry |
0 |
3 |
19 |
22 |
|
Kildare |
0 |
3 |
25 |
28 |
|
Kilkenny/Carlow |
0 |
3 |
20 |
23 |
|
Laois/Offaly |
0 |
1 |
24 |
25 |
|
Limerick |
1 |
3 |
28 |
32 |
|
Louth |
0 |
1 |
24 |
25 |
|
Mayo |
0 |
3 |
21 |
24 |
|
Meath |
1 |
1 |
18 |
20 |
|
Roscommon/Longford |
0 |
3 |
18 |
21 |
|
Sligo/Leitrim |
0 |
2 |
16 |
18 |
|
Tipperary |
0 |
3 |
23 |
26 |
|
Waterford |
0 |
2 |
16 |
18 |
|
Westmeath |
0 |
2 |
17 |
19 |
|
Wexford |
0 |
2 |
21 |
23 |
|
Wicklow |
0 |
2 |
18 |
20 |
|
Total |
6 |
69 |
614 |
689 |
Personnel strength of Garda Traffic Corps as at 30 April 2021
|
Division |
Insp |
Sergeant |
Garda |
Total |
|
Cavan/Monaghan |
2 |
16 |
18 |
|
|
Clare |
2 |
16 |
18 |
|
|
Cork City |
1 |
4 |
30 |
35 |
|
Cork North |
5 |
22 |
27 |
|
|
Cork West |
4 |
19 |
23 |
|
|
D.M.R. Traffic |
3 |
10 |
93 |
106 |
|
D.M.R.E. |
1 |
1 |
8 |
10 |
|
D.M.R.N. |
3 |
14 |
17 |
|
|
D.M.R.N.C |
1 |
2 |
19 |
22 |
|
D.M.R.S. |
1 |
1 |
10 |
12 |
|
D.M.R.S.C. |
1 |
2 |
12 |
15 |
|
D.M.R.W. |
3 |
17 |
20 |
|
|
Donegal |
1 |
1 |
20 |
22 |
|
Galway |
1 |
4 |
34 |
39 |
|
Kerry |
3 |
21 |
24 |
|
|
Kildare |
3 |
27 |
30 |
|
|
Kilkenny/Carlow |
2 |
20 |
22 |
|
|
Laois/Offaly |
3 |
22 |
25 |
|
|
Limerick |
3 |
28 |
31 |
|
|
Louth |
2 |
24 |
26 |
|
|
Mayo |
4 |
22 |
26 |
|
|
Meath |
2 |
16 |
18 |
|
|
Roscommon/Longford |
2 |
19 |
21 |
|
|
Sligo/Leitrim |
3 |
21 |
24 |
|
|
Tipperary |
3 |
26 |
29 |
|
|
Waterford |
2 |
15 |
17 |
|
|
Westmeath |
2 |
16 |
18 |
|
|
Wexford |
3 |
20 |
23 |
|
|
Wicklow |
3 |
18 |
21 |
|
|
Total |
10 |
84 |
645 |
739 |
555. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of cases that the Dublin north divisional protective services unit have dealt with in 2021 and to date in 2022; the number that ended with a successful prosecution in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53001/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have sought the information requested by the Deputy from the Garda authorities, however, the information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.
556. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice when the contract for the provision of stab vests that are issued to frontline gardaí was last put out to tender; when this current contract is due to expire; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53002/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have requested the information required from An Garda Síochána, and will revert to the Deputy when this is to hand.
557. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí by rank attached to a station (details supplied) as of 1 October 2021 and 18 October 2022, in tabular form; if a new competition will be held for additional gardaí to join will commence before the end of 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53003/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have requested the information required from An Garda Síochána, and will revert to the Deputy when this is to hand.
558. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of Garda cars and vans attached to the Kerry division and Sligo-Leitrim division as of 1 January 2021 and 17 October 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53004/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the purchase, allocation, and effective and efficient use of Garda vehicles. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I can however assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service. Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which I am informed that €10m has been allocated for investment in the Garda fleet.
I can advise the Deputy that the Garda authorities have furnished me with the number of cars and vans attached to the two Divisions as at 30 September 2022, the latest date for which figures are available, and 31 December 2020, the closest date to 1 January 2021 for which figures are available.
Kerry Division: 50 cars and 11 vans as at 30 September 2022; 51 cars and 13 vans as at 31 December 2020.
Sligo-Leitrim Division: 42 cars and 9 vans as at 30 September 2022; 40 cars and 12 vans as at 31 December 2020.
559. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 1442 of 8 September 2022, if she has received the necessary information from the Garda authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53005/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that Parliamentary Question No. 1442 of 8 September 2022 asks when the next recruitment campaign for the Garda band will commence.
As the Deputy is aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including all matters relating to the Garda Band. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.
I understand that no decision has been taken as yet in relation to the timing of a competition to provide for future recruitment to the Garda Band.
560. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Justice her views on a matter (details supplied) in relation to county coroners; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53041/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1st January 2018, my Department has had direct responsibility for providing financial and administrative support to the Dublin District Coroner’s Office.
The Coroner Service comprises the network of coroners located in districts throughout the country. As I am sure the Deputy is aware, coroners are independent statutory officers exercising quasi-judicial functions, which neither I nor my Department have any role in.
Coroners in all other districts are the responsibility of their respective Local Authorities. Therefore, neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to the recruitment of staff or salaries payable for coroners and their staff outside of Dublin.
561. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice the number of high-powered unmarked motorcycles attached to the Garda fleet as of 31 March 2021 and 18 October 2022, in tabular form. [53178/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the purchase, allocation, and effective and efficient use of Garda vehicles. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I can however assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service. Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which I am informed that €10m has been allocated for investment in the Garda fleet.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that at 31 March 2021 there were 127 motorcycles attached to the Garda Fleet. I am further informed that at 20 October 2022, the number of motorcycles had increased to 129.
I am advised that An Garda Síochána does not provide information on the number of unmarked motorcycles attached to the fleet for operational security reasons.
562. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice when the An Garda Síochána Capital Works Building Programme 2022 to 2026 in co-operation with the OPW will be published [53180/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised that a new Garda Capital Works Building Plan has been the subject of extensive collaboration between OPW and An Garda Síochána and it is expected that it will be finalised shortly.
563. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Justice the number of prosecutions for human trafficking for labour exploitation that have occurred since that offence first appeared on the statute books and the number of convictions that have occurred to date. [53222/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraHuman trafficking is an exploitive crime that preys on the vulnerable and I have been clear that there is no place for it in our society.
Significant progress was made in the past 12 months in relation to a number of initiatives, particularly in relation to the revised National Referral Mechanism (NRM), and the development of a new Action Plan on Human Trafficking, which I expect to publish shortly.
This recent progress has been acknowledged and reflected in the Trafficking in Persons 2022 report, published in June by the US State Department, which saw Ireland’s ranking upgraded from the Tier 2 watch-list.
Last month I published the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2022, which, among other things, will put the revised National Referral Mechanism on a statutory footing.
The Government’s intention is that every victim of trafficking is identified and helped so they can be supported. This is the right approach in and of itself, but it will also help the State gather more information and evidence in order to bring to justice the traffickers who prey on vulnerable people with no regard for the lives and safety of their victims.
While prosecutions are a matter for the Office of the DPP and An Garda Síochána, the State has committed significant resources to the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking in Ireland. A specialised Garda Unit, the Human Trafficking Investigation and Co-ordination Unit (HTICU), has been in place since 2009 to conduct investigations into human trafficking.
In September last year, the first convictions in Ireland for human trafficking were handed down, with significant sentences in the Circuit Criminal Court. Other investigations are ongoing, with, we understand, cases expected to come to court before the end of this year.
564. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who have obtained residency rights in the State based on a family member who is a UK national when the UK was a member of the EU who now must apply for a new residency permit; if she will consider automatically renewing these applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53223/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraNon-EEA family members or dependents of UK nationals continue to hold the same residence rights to live, work or study in Ireland, if they resided here at the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.
Non-EEA family members or dependents of UK nationals were required to exchange their valid Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card for a new one stating that they benefit from the Withdrawal Agreement. This card exchange programme applied from 1 January 2021, and was administered by my Department for applicants nationwide. Applications could be made through an online renewal system.
The initial deadline of 31 December 2021 for the card exchange was extended until 30 June 2022 and has now expired. As of September 2022, approx. 2,750 card exchange applications have been completed.
Non-EEA family members of UK nationals who have not yet exchanged their card should contact the EU Treaty Rights Division in the first instance and each application will be looked at on an individual basis.
When renewing a Withdrawal Agreement Beneficiary (WAB) Card the holder should submit an application for a permanent residence document to EU Treaty Rights Division on Form EUTR3, which is available on my Department's website here: www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Form-EUTR3.pdf.
565. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide an update on the status of an application (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53358/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe application for the person referred to by the Deputy was received by the Undocumented Unit of my Department on 8 March 2022 and continues to be processed. Due to the large number of applications on hand it is not possible to provide a definitive timeframe for a decision to issue.
The processing times of applications will vary depending on the complexity of the application. Applications where there is an existing deportation order will require additional processing.
Each application received is assessed individually in accordance with the published criteria, available on my Department's immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Undocumented-Policy-Scheme-January-2022.pdf.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
