Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 396: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding his announcement on a common visa agreement with the UK to allow visitors to the UK to use the same visa to travel here; and if this measure indicates any change in the his position on the Schengen convention visa arrangements. [25993/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The deputy refers in his question to the recently announced Visa Waiver Programme for the holders of certain types of UK short stay visas from sixteen selected countries. This pilot programme allows persons who are in possession of the relevant type of UK visa and who have been granted permission to enter the UK on foot of that visa to also travel to Ireland without the need to apply for an Irish visa. The programme, which was announced as part of the Government's Jobs Initiative, is mainly targeted at those travelling to the UK on short stays who might wish to include a short visit to Ireland as part of their overall journey. Recent indications are that the number of tourists entering Ireland has increased this year. This is very much to be welcomed and, while it is difficult to know exactly what proportion of this increase may be attributable to the Visa Waiver Programme, the response from the industry as a whole to the programme has been overwhelmingly very positive.

It should be borne in mind by the Deputy that the Visa Waiver Programme is not a reciprocal arrangement and there is not a common visa regime between Ireland and the UK. The Visa Waiver Programme is solely an Irish government initiative, but it benefits from and requires the very valuable support and cooperation of the UK immigration authorities. This initiative is not indicative of a change in the position of the Government with regard to the Schengen Acquis. In fact, any such change in attitude would be likely to place in jeopardy the necessary support of the UK authorities for the Visa Waiver Programme. The cooperation of the UK authorities with the programme is extended to Ireland in the context of the continuing operation of the Common Travel Area (CTA) between the two jurisdictions which remains an important priority for the Irish Government. The CTA could not, for all intents and purposes, continue to operate if Ireland were to remove border checks with the Schengen states while the United Kingdom did not.