I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 and 245 together.
Statistical information available in the citizenship section of my Department has always been based on the number of applications received, certificates issued and applications refused. It is not possible, therefore, to provide details of the level of processing, where such processing has not yet resulted either in the issuance of a certificate or in the refusal of a certificate.
Details of the number of applications received, certificates issued and applications refused for the period 2002 to 2005, to the end of October, are set out in tables A to D as follows. It should be noted that the numbers of certificates issued or applications refused in a given period do not necessarily refer to the applications received during that the same period.
TABLE A.
2002
|
New applications
|
Certificates issued
|
Applics. refused
|
January
|
208
|
67
|
0
|
February
|
138
|
132
|
0
|
March
|
139
|
96
|
0
|
April
|
235
|
80
|
2
|
May
|
216
|
226
|
2
|
June
|
177
|
130
|
3
|
July
|
374
|
95
|
26
|
August
|
402
|
99
|
31
|
September
|
279
|
149
|
24
|
October
|
318
|
173
|
3
|
November
|
451
|
83
|
0
|
December
|
637
|
2
|
18
|
Totals
|
3,574
|
1,332
|
109
|
TABLE B.
2003
|
New applications
|
Certificates issued
|
Applics. refused
|
January
|
271
|
90
|
29
|
February
|
256
|
179
|
4
|
March
|
321
|
178
|
60
|
April
|
312
|
238
|
35
|
May
|
283
|
177
|
1
|
June
|
319
|
174
|
0
|
July
|
351
|
114
|
1
|
August
|
236
|
89
|
4
|
September
|
354
|
142
|
7
|
October
|
298
|
90
|
0
|
November
|
304
|
122
|
18
|
December
|
275
|
71
|
20
|
Totals
|
3,580
|
1,664
|
179
|
TABLE C.
2004
|
New applications
|
Certificates issued
|
Applics. refused
|
January
|
334
|
162
|
8
|
February
|
326
|
155
|
49
|
March
|
380
|
144
|
137
|
April
|
155
|
107
|
20
|
May
|
515
|
82
|
20
|
June
|
413
|
115
|
9
|
July
|
388
|
146
|
43
|
August
|
266
|
23
|
57
|
September
|
361
|
183
|
9
|
October
|
311
|
110
|
192
|
November
|
341
|
63
|
227
|
December
|
284
|
45
|
8
|
Totals
|
4,074
|
1,335
|
779
|
TABLE D.
2005
|
New applications
|
Certificates issued
|
Applics. refused/ deemed ineligible**
|
January
|
224
|
36
|
88
|
February
|
347
|
82
|
511
|
March
|
330
|
103
|
187
|
April
|
518
|
205
|
424
|
May
|
341
|
151
|
285
|
June
|
344
|
121
|
200
|
July
|
311
|
171
|
177
|
August
|
393
|
97
|
154
|
September
|
490
|
132
|
41
|
October
|
488
|
134
|
233
|
Totals
|
3,786
|
1,232
|
2,300
|
**Since 1 April 2005, applications are examined shortly after receipt for compliance with statutory residency criteria. Those which do not have the necessary period of residency are deemed to be ineligible and are returned to the applicants. Just over 950 applications have been deemed ineligible in the period 1 April to the end of October.
There were 20 staff assigned to the citizenship section of my Department in November 2004. The major reduction in the number of asylum applications has given me an opportunity to re-focus resources on areas of service provision for non-nationals which have been under-resourced. In the past 12 months, the number of staff working exclusively on citizenship matters has doubled to 41. However, it is important to bear in mind that the citizenship area of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service cannot be considered in isolation. Other sections within that area, such as the section involved in processing of visas, have also seen a significant increase in work volumes in recent time and the distribution of any additional resources has to be undertaken with that in mind.
The average processing time for an application for naturalisation has fluctuated between 12/15 months and 24 months in the period 1997 to date. It is approximately 24 months at present. This is primarily due to the increase in the volume of applications being received, from 1,431 in 2001 to more than likely over 4,500 in 2005. This trend is likely to continue and it is not possible, therefore, to be definitive about future processing times for such applications.