Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Not all travelled with me. A few joined me on the way.

Regarding whether this will impose restrictions on travel between Great Britain and Ireland, which is the issue that concerns us, the answer is "no". The e-border system is a consequence of the heightened awareness of security risks associated with international travel and is born out of a desire to prevent security risks from entering the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. The popular conception of the common travel area has already been diminished by the air carriers' response to increasing security fears and the terror threat facing Great Britain. Practically all of them now insist on passport checks. The system is designed to increase the safety of the travelling public and the citizens of both countries.

On the question of whether this is the end of the common travel area and should we join Schengen, the answer is "no". The system is designed to increase the safety of the travelling public and the citizens of both countries. For most Irish and British citizens the most significant benefit of the common travel area over the years has been the ability to travel within the area without an identity document. However, in view of the changed nature of security operations in the wake of the events of 11 September 2001, air carriers now require Irish and British citizens to produce satisfactory identification. It does not have to be a passport but, increasingly, it is a passport. When the British e-border system is fully developed, all air and sea passengers will require a valid passport to facilitate a journey.

For the information of the House, officials from our immigration system, aware for the past two years that Britain is doing this, has been examining the possibility of developing an Irish border system which would be similar in some ways to the British system. Passenger information will be collected by carriers and sent to a border operations centre to be screened against watch lists. It is intended to produce a full memorandum in the new year. We will be examining issues of border security, organised crime and international trends. What affects us most is people entering the UK illegally and coming across the Border to the Republic. I was surprised by the figures. I believed illegal immigrants were using ferry ports and airports. However the figures, which are conclusive, show that more than 90% come via the Border with Northern Ireland. It explains certain things that have been happening over the past few years. The collection and analysis of passenger information is rapidly becoming a feature of international travel. The common travel area is not gone but it is changed fundamentally because of the security position. If the UK is doing this, the sensible thing is for Ireland to develop its electronic border system and to then exchange information, as we would anyway in respect of serious terrorists or those who are being watched internationally. That will tighten up border operations considerably. Obviously, movement between North and South is different given the commitments under the Good Friday Agreement and neither the British Government nor the Irish Government wants to make changes in that regard.

The provision of tighter systems by the British and Irish Governments will allow for a greater exchange of information between both countries and will close off the loopholes being exploited by those people who are making money out of this.

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