892. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of certificates of naturalisation granted in each year since 2016 where one or more of the normal statutory naturalisation conditions were waived categorised by the condition waived and applicant country of origin, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65018/26]

903. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Section 16 naturalisation applications awaiting a decision; the average processing time for such applications; the measures being taken to reduce delays; and if applicants will be provided with clearer timelines where applications have been outstanding for a prolonged period. [65055/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 892 and 903 together.

All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

Last year, my Department published new guidelines for applications on the basis of Irish Associations under Section 16(1)(a) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956. These guidelines set out the factors that may be considered when deciding whether to waive the statutory conditions in certain circumstances, including where an applicant is of Irish descent or has Irish associations. Details of the guidelines are available on my Department's website at the following link: <https://www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-an-irish-citizen-guide/>.

In April 2025, 1,358 fair procedures letters were issued to applicants, affording them an opportunity to make a submission or submit additional documentation in support of their Irish Association application. All submissions received have been reviewed and added to the relevant applications.

I can inform the Deputy that it is not possible to provide statistics on the number of applications received or decisions made each year under Section 16 on the basis of Irish Association. This would require the manual examination of hundreds of cases and would involve a disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.

Following the introduction of the new Section 16 Irish Association guidelines, arrangements have been put in place to record such applications separately. The total number of decisions issued on Irish Association applications since the introduction of the guidelines in April 2025 is 444, comprising 300 refusals and 144 approvals.

Section 16 applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, having regard to the individual circumstances of each applicant, and can take longer to process than standard naturalisation applications. Accordingly, my Department cannot provide a standard processing time that would be applicable to all such applications.