Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Pringle, Doherty and Mac Lochlainn for raising this important issue. I have been carefully monitoring the progress of the UK's draft Nationality and Borders Bill as it moved through the legislative process in Westminster. We have several concerns regarding the proposed electronic travel authorisation scheme set out in the Bill in the context of cross-Border travel on the island of Ireland in the context of the issues raised by all three Deputies.

I discussed those concerns in detail with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, at a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin last Thursday.

The Bill provides the UK's new immigration rules may require that non-Irish and non-British citizens obtain an ETA before travelling to the UK, including for journeys across the land border to Northern Ireland.

The British Government has confirmed that the proposed ETA system would not apply to Irish and British citizens. The British Government has also stated there will continue to be no immigration checks on the land border. Our concern with respect to the Bill's ETA provision centres on the fact that the movement of people on this island, particularly in Border areas, is unique. Many thousands of people cross the Border every day in the course of their daily lives, including to access essential services, for business, tourism, family reasons and to travel from one part of Ireland to another. This is something both the Irish and British Governments recognised and committed to in strand two of the Good Friday Agreement.

The introduction of the proposed ETA scheme for cross-Border journeys could cause considerable disruption to the daily lives and livelihoods of many people across the island of Ireland who are not Irish or British citizens, particularly those residing in Border areas, including the north west. The scheme could have a significant impact on tourism in Northern Ireland, with more than two thirds of visitors from mainland Europe and the US arriving in Northern Ireland via the South. There are also potential implications for cross-Border healthcare, education and integrated supply chains.

It is clear Border counties such as Donegal would be particularly affected by these matters. Most journeys to and from Donegal naturally cross the Border, and residents of Donegal and other Border counties would also be well aware that the closest amenity or essential service is often found across the Border, and they would, therefore, be especially conscious of the impact that the ETA scheme as currently conceived would have.

The House of Commons voted on 22 March against the amendment from the House of Lords that would have exempted cross-Border journeys into Northern Ireland from the proposed ETA requirements. Since the proposal emerged, the Government has engaged with the British Government at both official and political levels to express our serious concerns about the proposed ETA scheme.

As mentioned, I raised these directly with the Secretary of State last Thursday at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. I highlighted the complexities that such a scheme would present for cross-Border travel, as well as the serious implications for daily lives and livelihoods. Senior officials continue to engage with their British counterparts on the details of these concerns. We will encourage the British Government to reconsider its approach and apply exceptions for residents in Ireland and visitors to the island of Ireland from the ETA scheme.

It is important to say the legislation is not yet through Westminster. It has come from the House of Lords with an amendment, which has been rejected in the House of Commons, but it may well go back to the House of Lords before coming to the House of Commons again. There is time to try to change this and I assure the Deputies we will be very active in our attempts to do that.

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