'Some merit' in having language proficiency test for people seeking Irish citizenship, Tánaiste says

Tánaiste Simon Harris and enterprise minister Peter Burke speaking to the media at the Intel campus in Leixlip, Co Kildare, where a €5bn investment was announced.

There is "merit" in considering an assessment of language proficiency of people who seek Irish citizenship, the Tánaiste has said.

Pointing to the many positive changes that have been made to the citizenship process in recent years, Simon Harris said there was always value in reviewing and refining the system.

"I think there are legitimate discussions to be had around citizenship in general. Citizenship, more broadly, is a very cherished gift."

He added: "Language is an important part of integration. Absolutely, it's an important part for the person coming to a country, and it's important for the country to which they're coming. So I do think there's some merit in considering a language proficiency."

Mr Harris was speaking at Intel's base in Leixlip, Co Kildare, as the company announced hundreds of new jobs and a €5bn injection into the plant.

He said: "Our country is the better for people who come here and make a positive contribution. Our health service would fall over without people coming here. As an example, companies like Intel... a company that's just announced €5bn investment, I'm sure there must be so many people of so many nationalities working here as well, and all of that is positive."

Taoiseach Micheál Martin also welcomed the Intel investment, saying it represented a "very clear vote of confidence" in Intel's Irish operations.

"Additional jobs, of course, will be created here, and up to 2,000 people in the construction field are expected to be engaged as a result of this investment," he said.

Mr Martin said there were challenges around the cost of doing business in this country.

"First of all, the energy costs have been one of those key factors that we have to do better on. That has been exacerbated by a series of wars — in Ukraine and the Middle East — which have increased the costs even further. The cost of energy is a significant challenge for us."

The expansion of Intel's Kildare operation involves upgrading existing fabrication facilities and the installation of hi-tech manufacturing equipment, as global demand for AI and high-performance computing drives the need for advanced silicon to power AI factories.

The key infrastructure enhancements will also include the expansion of the automated track system to integrate disparate campus modules into one, high velocity, production environment.