Applies to refusals of Irish Citizenship where National Security concerns arise Retired Judge John Hedigan has been appointed to serve as the Member of the Single Person Committee of inquiry into applications for naturalisation where the Minister has formed an intention to refuse the application where National Security concerns arise.
The Committee has been established to review, upon request from the applicant, the material upon which the intention to refuse to grant a certificate of naturalisation was made, in circumstances where the basis of refusal is in whole or in part predicated on National Security concerns.
Following his review of the material, the Member will advise the Minister on its disclosure having regard to natural justice considerations and National Security interests including maintaining intelligence capabilities. The Member may advise the Minister: not to disclose; partially disclose; or full disclosure of the material.
The establishment of the Single Person Committee is not an appeal process for Citizenship decisions. The establishment of the Committee introduces a process whereby applicants, whose application for a certificate of naturalisation is the subject of an intention to refuse by the Minister, in whole or in part, on National Security Concerns, can apply to the Single Person Committee for a decision on
the disclosure of the information relied on in forming the intention to refuse their application.
The recently revised terms of Reference for the Single Person Committee of inquiry into the applications of Irish Citizenship (Via Naturalisation) where National Security concerns arise are available.