The establishment of the Single Person Committee of Inquiry

The Single Person Committee of Inquiry (SPC) was established in 2020 following the Supreme Court judgment in AP v Minister for Justice [2019] IESC 74 and specifically applied to applications for naturalisation in which the Minister had formed an intention to refuse where national security concerns arose.

In February 2026, the Minister extended the remit of the SPC on a limited basis to allow for the referral of other immigration applications, on a case by case basis, where there is an intention to refuse based on security related concerns.

The role of the SPC is to review, upon request from the applicant, the reasons put forward to him by the Minister as to why the information relied upon in formulating the intention to refuse the application should not be disclosed, in circumstances where the basis of refusal is in whole or in part, predicated on National Security concerns.

Following his review of the information received, 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 information.

The establishment of the Single Person Committee is not an appeal process. It introduces a process whereby applicants, whose application 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.

An applicant who receives such a letter of intention to refuse will be advised of their entitlement to request a review by the SPC. The review must be requested within a period of three months from the date of the letter.

Any such applicant will be advised of the outcome of the review and afforded a further opportunity to submit representations in support of their application before a final decision is taken by the Minister.

The revised Terms of Reference for the Single Person Committee came into effect on 18 March 2026 and are accessible via the hyperlink.

Retired Judge Rory MacCabe is currently serving as the Member of the Single Person Committee of Inquiry (SPC).