Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

This issue has been raised with me by a number of tourist bodies. I accept the Minister's statement that our visa costs are roughly in line with those of other countries. However, in our case, it is an added cost. As the Minister stated, people visiting Ireland from China, India or the Middle East may come here as part of a tour that commences in Paris and moves on to London. These people are required to pay €60 for a Schengen visa which allows them entry into Paris, €100 for a visa to gain entry to London and a further €100 in visa fees to gain entry into Ireland. All of this adds to the overall cost of one's journey. Many people believe they have seen Europe once they have seen Paris and visiting Ireland may not be the most important issue on their minds.

We are disadvantaging ourselves. We should either reduce the visa fee or abolish it. Which is of greater value, the revenue derived from visa fees or the revenue from extra business? In terms of tourism, any growth in this area is likely to come from countries such as China and India and the eastern world rather than from western world.

Another disincentive in this regard is that people who apply for visas in, say, China and so on, must collect them from their nearest consulate or embassy. This is all very well if one lives in Ireland where no journey is more than 300 km. However, having to travel thousands of miles to collect a visa is a huge disincentive. The Minister referred earlier to a review in this regard and it is important such a review takes place. Also, this requirement is a particular barrier to children travelling here from Chernobyl, many of whom are required to travel to Moscow to collect visas, which is a huge imposition on them. Thousands of children come here every year from Chernobyl.

I ask that the Minister consult on this matter with the Departments of Foreign Affairs or Justice, Equality and Law Reform to see if anything can be done in terms of how this system works and the actual cost in that regard, a self-imposed barrier which should be abolished.

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