Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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146. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if a person (details supplied) qualifies for naturalisation given the existence of an Irish-born child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39604/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

It is open to anyone to make an application for citizenship once they meet the criteria as set out in the 1956 Act, as amended. Only once an application is received, can a determination on whether the applicant satisfies the statutory criteria for naturalisation be made.

Unfortunately, applications cannot be expedited due to the intended purpose of naturalisation such as travel, or to join family members.

The Citizenship Division of my Department have taken a significant number of steps to speed up the Naturalisation process for applicants, including introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are significantly reducing processing times. I expect that going forward the vast majority of applicants will receive a decision within one year.

In just over two years the Citizenship Division of my Department has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023. Already in 2024, 16,000 decisions have been made in the first half of the year. Last year, Citizenship Division more than doubled the number of ceremonies available to applicants with 15 held over the course of 2023. This was a significant increase on 6 Citizenship Ceremonies held in 2022. To date in 2024, my Department has hosted 17 ceremonies with over 14,000 attendees, with further ceremonies planned for later in the year.

Further detailed information on how to apply for naturalisation is available on my Department's Irish Immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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147. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether a person (details supplied) qualifies for naturalisation given their history in the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39605/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

It is open to anyone to make an application for citizenship once they meet the criteria as set out in the 1956 Act, as amended. Only once an application is received, can a determination on whether the applicant satisfies the statutory criteria for naturalisation be made.

Unfortunately, applications cannot be expedited due to the intended purpose of naturalisation such as travel, or to join family members.

The Citizenship Division of my Department have taken a significant number of steps to speed up the Naturalisation process for applicants, including introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are significantly reducing processing times. I expect that, going forward, the vast majority of applicants will receive a decision within one year.

In just over two years the Citizenship Division of my Department has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023. Already in 2024, 16,000 decisions have been made in the first half of the year.

Last year, Citizenship Division more than doubled the number of ceremonies available to applicants with 15 held over the course of 2023. This was a significant increase on 6 Citizenship Ceremonies held in 2022. To date in 2024, my Department has hosted 17 ceremonies with over 14,000 attendees, with further ceremonies planned for later in the year.

Further detailed information on how to apply for naturalisation is available on my Department's Irish Immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/