Colm Brophy
Question:271. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the domiciliary care allowance by €5. [45962/24]
View answerSocial Welfare Payments
Questions (271)
Written answers
The estimated annual cost of increasing the Domiciliary Care Allowance by €5 per month from €340 per month to €345 per month is €4.0m.
This costing is on a full year basis and is based on 2024 rates of payment.
It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2025.
The rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase from €340 per month to €360 per month with effect from January 2025, as a result of Budget 2025.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (272)
Colm Brophy
Question:272. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the free travel pass to all children in receipt of domiciliary care allowance. [45963/24]
View answerWritten answers
The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2024 is €103.5 million.
Providing an accurate projection of the cost of extending the free travel scheme to all children in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance is very difficult as the cost is determined by the usage of the extra passes provided and not by the number of newly qualified people. Therefore, my Department is not able to provide an accurate estimate cost of the measure outlined by the Deputy.
Any decision to extend the Free Travel scheme to those in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance would require additional funding for the free travel scheme and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment to the carer of a child with a disability. The allowance may be used for the additional costs involved in caring for the child and this may include additional transport costs. In Budget 2025, I announced that Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase by €20 to €360 a month from January 2025. In addition, all recipients of Domiciliary Care Allowance qualify for the Carer's Support Grant in June of each year. As part of Budget 2025 I further announced that the rate will increase by €150 to €2,000 per year for each carer.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an essential need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers and include help towards recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (273)
Colm Brophy
Question:273. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the blind pension weekly income disregard by €10. [45964/24]
View answerWritten answers
My Department provides a suite of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. These include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions, and means-tested social assistance schemes.
The primary social assistance scheme for people who are blind or visually impaired is the Blind Pension, which is a means-tested payment and the only income support payment designed to cater for a specific disability, paid to people aged 18 to 66 years. Eligibility for Blind Pension requires that a person’s vision is impaired to such an extent that they cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue in their ordinary occupation.
Recipients of Blind Pension can take up employment and may continue to receive their income support. Recipients can work while in receipt of their payment, but income is assessable as means. Persons can currently earn up to €165 per week and keep their payment in full and can earn up to €505.10 per week and keep a small portion of their payment and their secondary benefits.
As of September 2024, there were 99 recipients of Blind Pension who were in employment. The estimated, conservative cost of increasing the income disregard to €175 per week would amount to almost €26,000.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (274)
Colm Brophy
Question:274. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the top-up payment for participants on CE, TÚS and the rural social scheme by €5. [45965/24]
View answerWritten answers
The Department offers a range of employment schemes and other supports to encourage long-term unemployed people to return to work, while also assisting communities across the country in the provision of vital services. They are targeted at people who have been on an unemployment payment or certain other social welfare payments for a specific period of time.
Community Employment (CE) and Tús are employment activation measures designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative that provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation.
There are currently 19,339 participants on CE, 4,503 participants on Tús and 2,693 participants on the RSS. Government investment in the schemes will amount to over €500 million in 2024.
As part of the Budget 2025 measures, CE, Tús and RSS participants will receive an increase in their weekly payment arising from the increase in core social welfare payments of €12.00 per week with effect from 1st January 2025. Participants also receive the weekly top-up allowance of €27.50. In effect, these changes ensure that the minimum payment for participants will increase from €259.50 per week to €271.50 per week from January 2025.
In addition, all participants have received the October 2024 Cost of Living double week payment and will also be eligible for the Christmas double payment in December 2024, and for those eligible the double payment of Child Benefit to be paid in both November and December 2024.
A number of once off Cost of Living bonus payments were also announced in Budget 2025, which will benefit eligible CE, Tús and RSS participants, including a once off payment of €300 for those in receipt of the Fuel Allowance, €200 for those in receipt of Living Alone Allowance and €100 for those in receipt of an Increase for a Child Support Payment (CSP) (previously known as Increase for a Qualified Child).
It is estimated that the annual additional cost of increasing the weekly top-up payment of €27.50 for CE, Tús and RSS participants by €5, based on the total number of places available on the schemes, would be approximately €8 million.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (275)
Colm Brophy
Question:275. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the carer’s allowance to €325 per week and abolish the means test associated with the payment. [45966/24]
View answerWritten answers
The estimated full year cost to increase the Carer's Allowance payment for over 66's from its current weekly rate €286, to a weekly rate of €325 is €22.5m. The estimated full year cost to increase the Carer's Allowance payment for under 66's from its current weekly rate €248, to a weekly rate of €325 is €262.5m. The combined cost is €285m.
Estimating the abolition of a means test is difficult and any such estimate is by definition high level and as such should be treated with caution as the actual outcome may be quite different. The Department estimates that removing the means test for carer's allowance in its entirety would give rise to additional costs of more than €600 million. Taking account of estimates of inflows, this could potentially increase to between €880 million and €2 billion a year.
The costs shown above are on a full year basis and are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2025. It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2025.
Social Welfare Code
Questions (276)
Colm Brophy
Question:276. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection the breakdown of the number of companies with fewer than 10, 20 and 50 employees and the PRSI revenue generated from same. [45967/24]
View answerWritten answers
It is not possible to provide the information requested within the timeframe available.
The data requested is being compiled by my officials and will be sent to the Deputy as soon as possible.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Code
Questions (277)
Colm Brophy
Question:277. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection the total revenue generated by employers’ PRSI at both rates. [45968/24]
View answerWritten answers
It is not possible to provide the information requested within the timeframe available.
The data requested is being compiled by my officials and will be sent to the Deputy as soon as possible.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (278)
Bernard Durkan
Question:278. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the availability of carer’s allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45995/24]
View answerWritten answers
Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
I can confirm that CA was in payment to the person concerned from 07 June 2012 to 07 September 2016.
The Department has not received any recent CA applications from the person concerned.
It is open to the person concerned to apply for CA by completing a CR1 application form for each person requiring care.
The person concerned will need to complete all the relevant sections and return the completed forms to the address below. A checklist is also included with the forms and should be used to review the applications before submitting.
The medical report does not need to be completed on the CR1 application form if the person concerned is applying for a child under the age of 16 in respect of whom Domiciliary Care Allowance is in payment.
The address of the Carer's Allowance Section is:
Carer's Allowance Section, Ballinalee Road, Longford, Co Longford, N39 E4E0.
Application forms have been forwarded by post to the address of the person concerned. A return envelope has been included for convenience.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (279)
Bernard Durkan
Question:279. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection to indicate notwithstanding the response to previous PQs in the case of a person (details supplied), if the matter could be reviewed in this context with a view to granting ENP; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46009/24]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. The ANP scheme is means tested and administered by Designated Persons (DPs) in the Community Welfare Service, taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance. Guaranteed payment of an ANP cannot be taken as an automatic entitlement.
I would refer the Deputy to your previous Dáil Question No. 246 answered on 17th October which outlined that the persons concerned applied for an ANP to assist with the cost of furnishing their new home. This claim was disallowed on the basis that the persons had sufficient means available to them in the form of savings to cover the expenses from their own resources. A letter advising the persons concerned of this outcome and affording them the opportunity to seek a review of the decision issued to them on 14/09/2024.
A Reviewing Officer reviewed the claim made by the persons concerned and considering the circumstances of the case, upheld the original decision made by the DP. This position has not changed and an additional letter has been sent by the SWA Reviewing Officer to the persons concerned confirming that the review decision remains upheld.
As previously advised to the Deputy in my reply to Dáil Question No. 246, if the persons concerned feel that they have been treated unfairly, they have the right of recourse to contact The Office of the Ombudsman, 6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, D02 W773, Telephone number: 01-639 5600 / 1890 22 30 30, Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (280)
Bernard Durkan
Question:280. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when exceptional needs payment to assist with funeral costs in respect of his wife (RIP) will be paid in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46017/24]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. An ANP application can be made for assistance with funeral and burial expenses where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the family of the deceased person without causing hardship.
According to Departmental records, no application for assistance towards funeral expenses for the deceased person has been received. It is open to the person concerned to apply for assistance by completing a SWA1 form and providing all relevant documents in support of their application. For convenience, an application pack has been posted to persons' home address. On receipt of a completed application form and supporting documentation, the claim will be assessed, and the person concerned will be advised of the outcome in writing.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (281)
Bernard Durkan
Question:281. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a living alone allowance will be granted in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46018/24]
View answerWritten answers
An application for the living alone increase was received on 30 September 2024.
The living alone increase has been awarded with effect from 06 September 2024. The person concerned is also entitled to the Telephone Support Allowance from this date. Both decisions issued to the person concerned on 04 November 2024, together with details of arrears due.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (282)
Bernard Durkan
Question:282. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when an ENP for assistance with house kit out can be granted in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46019/24]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) and Urgent Needs Payments (UNPs), and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary. ANPs are means tested and administered by Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. As part of the application process, a person must provide personal, financial, household, and other information in support of their claim to determine eligibility and to establish a need as considered necessary.
Departmental records show that the person concerned applied for an ANP in May 2024 for assistance with the cost of her new home. As a tenancy agreement for the allocated property was not supplied with the person’s claim, the application was returned to her along with a request for the outstanding tenancy agreement to be provided. Departmental records show that the application and requested information has not been returned to date and no further application for assistance under the SWA scheme has been received.
If the person concerned is experiencing financial difficulties, they can reapply for assistance by completing a SWA1 form and providing all relevant documents in support of their application. On receipt of a completed application form and supporting documentation, the person's claim will be assessed, and she will be advised of the outcome in writing. Alternatively, if the person concerned has a verified MyGovID account she can apply for an ANP at www.MyWelfare.ie.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (283)
Bernard Durkan
Question:283. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in determination of application for DCA in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46034/24]
View answerWritten answers
Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable to a parent / guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of the child's disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 consecutive months.
An application for DCA in respect of their child was received from the person concerned on 20 September 2024.
A Deciding Officer has disallowed the application for DCA in respect of the person concerned as per decision letter dated 4 November 2024, on the grounds that the child was not considered to satisfy the above condition for DCA. As part of the decision process, the Deciding Officer had regard to the professional opinion of a departmental Medical Assessor (MA) in making their decision and a copy of that MA opinion was issued with the decision letter.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (284)
Bernard Durkan
Question:284. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection what efforts can be made to assist a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46037/24]
View answerWritten answers
The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system, helps eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANP)s. The basic SWA provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or do not qualify for payment under other State schemes.
According to the records of the Department, the person concerned applied for a basic SWA payment while a decision is pending on her Jobseekers Transitional Payment application. This basic SWA claim is currently awaiting further information to be supplied by the person concerned in relation to her self-employment. However, the person met with a Community Welfare Officer on 05/11/2024 at the Maynooth Social Welfare Branch Office and was issued with an ANP of €275 while her basic SWA claim is pending. Once the required documentation for the persons basic SWA claim has been received, the claim will be reviewed promptly, and the customer will be advised of the outcome in writing.
Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) is a social welfare payment for people who are parenting alone, whose youngest child is aged between 7 and 14. It is a means-tested payment. Qualifying conditions for JST can be found here gov.ie - Jobseeker's Transitional Payment (www.gov.ie) .
According to the records of the Department, the person concerned applied for JST payment on 19/09/2024. This claim is currently being examined by a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI). When the SWI completes their investigation, a decision will issue to the person in writing.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (285)
Bernard Durkan
Question:285. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the family of a deceased person (details supplied) might receive consideration for ENP to meet financial costs arising from the death of both parents given that both parents died intestate, and the family home remains occupied by family members; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46038/24]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help assist with funeral and burial expenses where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the family of the deceased person without causing hardship.
I would refer the Deputy to previous Dáil Question 910, which outlined that the claim of the person concerned was disallowed on the basis that the deceased person owned assets from which all outstanding debts, including the funeral costs can be paid once a Grant of Probate, which should be initiated by the next of kin, has been obtained. A letter advising the person concerned of this outcome and affording them the opportunity to seek a review issued to them on 18/07/2024.
A Reviewing Officer reviewed the claim made by the person concerned and considering the circumstances of the case, upheld the original decision made by the Designated Person. This position has not changed.
If the person concerned feels that they have been treated unfairly, they still have the right of recourse to contact The Office of the Ombudsman, 6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, D02 W773, Telephone number: 01-639 5600 / 1890 22 30 30, Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Fuel Poverty
Questions (286)
Bernard Durkan
Question:286. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether fuel allowance is payable in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46039/24]
View answerWritten answers
Fuel Allowance is an administrative scheme and is payable to people who satisfy the conditions of the scheme and who either live alone or only with certain qualified people. Entitlement to fuel allowance is based on a review of all people residing in the household regardless of their relationship to the customer.
In order for fuel allowance to be paid, the customer must live only with a Qualified Adult, a Qualified Child or a person who would have an entitlement to fuel in their own right.
I can confirm that the Department received an application for fuel allowance from the person concerned on 27 September 2024.
Based on the information provided to the Department, the person concerned does not qualify for the allowance as the other adult residing at this address is not a Qualified Adult, nor would they have an entitlement to Fuel Allowance in their own right. Therefore, the person concerned has no entitlement to Fuel Allowance.
A letter notifying the person concerned of this decision issued on 21 October 2024.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Work Permits
Questions (287)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:287. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice if her Department will engage with an embassy (details supplied) regarding a work visa; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45528/24]
View answerWritten answers
I can advise the Deputy that the application referred to was created on 17 July 2024. Supporting documentation was received in the New Delhi Visa Office on 26 July 2024 where it awaits examination and processing.
It is not possible to give a definitive date as to when this application will be finalised. All applications are processed in chronological order, based on date order of receipt. While every effort is made to process applications as soon as possible, processing times will vary having regard to the volume and complexity of applications, the possible need for the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) function of my Department to investigate, inquire into, or seek further information, and the resources available.
Please note that the granting of a work permit by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment does not guarantee that a visa will be subsequently granted. These are two very distinct application processes with different checks and procedures in place in each respective Department.
The applicant will be notified as soon as a decision has been reached by a Visa Officer.
Processing times and decisions at the Overseas Visa Offices can be checked at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions/#decisions.
I can advise the Deputy, my Department has now introduced a Digital Contact Centre (DCC) for our customers. The DCC allows individuals to log in and review the status of their immigration applications.
In its first phase, the DCC can be used to check the status of and raise queries in relation to Citizenship Applications, Visa Applications, Domestic Residence Permission Applications, EU Treaty Rights Applications and Travel Documents Applications.
My Department’s new platform can be accessed at the following link: portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/.
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: IMoireachtasmail@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.
An Garda Síochána
Questions (288, 289)
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:288. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice the number of Gardaí in each Cork station in each month over the past two years.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45509/24]
View answerDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:289. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice the number of and which stations have seen a reduction of ten Gardaí or more since 2009, excluding stations closed entirely in this period; and what that reduction has been (details supplied). [45510/24]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 and 289 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of Garda members throughout the State.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Division.
I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that personnel assigned throughout the country, together with the overall policing arrangements and operational strategies are continually monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of resources and the best possible policing service is provided to the general public.
The Government is committed to supporting Garda recruitment. In Budget 2025, over €2.48 billion has been allocated to An Garda Síochána. This is a 27% increase since 2020 and will allow for the sustained recruitment of new Garda recruits through to next year.
As of the end of September there were 14,125 Garda members assigned across the country. This represents an increase of over 10% since 2015, when there were 12,816 Gardaí throughout the country.
A number of actions have been taken to support increased recruitment. We have increased the age of entry from 35 to 50 and most recently increased the training allowance to €354, representing an increase of over 92% in the last 12 months.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that the information is not available in the format requested.
However, the number of Garda members nationwide at the end of December 2009 up to the end of December 2023, and at 30 June 2024, the latest date available for figures broken down by Division, District and Station are published on my Department's website at the link below. Please be advised that these figures are operational and may be subject to change.
I am pleased to note that the number of Garda members assigned to Cork City has increased by over 2% since the end of December 2015, Cork North has seen an increase of 8%, while Cork West has seen an increase of almost 1.5%.
In the interest of transparency, information in relation to the allocation of Probationer Gardaí by Division and Station breakdown is publicly available and can also be found at the following link. I can also advise the Deputy that I have received the most recent figures for the attestation on 20 September 2024 from An Garda Síochána which has been published on the website.
www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/.
Question No. 289 answered with Question No. 288.
Citizenship Applications
Questions (290)
Cormac Devlin
Question:290. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice the conditions necessary for a spouse of an Irish citizen to apply for citizenship, with particular reference to the Minister's powers to waive the residency requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45518/24]
View answerWritten answers
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.
There are no provisions for the spouse or partner of an Irish citizen to acquire Irish citizenship solely by virtue of a marriage or civil partnership with an Irish citizen. The legal provision that provided for post nuptial citizenship was repealed with effect from 30 November 2005.
Section 15A of the 1956 Act sets out the conditions that apply where the application is based on being the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen. The requirements are
• that the couple have been married to, or civil partners of each other, for a period of at least three years and are living together;
• and that the applicant has 3 years’ reckonable residence on the island of Ireland prior to making an application, with the final 12 months being continuous residence.
Section 15 of the Act sets out the statutory conditions that must be fulfilled for a certificate of naturalisation to be granted. Section 16 of the Act gives discretion to waive the statutory conditions in certain circumstances, including where the applicant is of Irish descent or Irish associations (related through blood, affinity or adoption to a person who is or is entitled to be an Irish citizen).
Any application under Section 16 that relies on Irish associations and affinity should be supported by substantive documentation that renders the application exceptional and one where the normal pathways to citizenship provided for under the legislation are not appropriate.
The Deputy should be aware that there is no automatic right or entitlement to have any of the statutory conditions waived, even where the applicant comes within the certain circumstances defined.
Officials in my Department are in the process of finalising guidelines, which will provide clarity to both applicants and decision-makers on what factors may be considered when deciding whether to waive such naturalisation conditions under section 16(1)(a) of the Act. These new guidelines are being developed in the interests of fair and transparent procedures and comprehensive decision making. Details of the new guidelines will be made publicly available once they have been finalised.
It is open to any individual to lodge an application for naturalisation if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory conditions as specified in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, and pay the appropriate fees.
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/ .