Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One of the many benefits of the Good Friday Agreement was the establishment of all-Ireland bodies, including Tourism Ireland. Tourism Ireland has responsibility for marketing the island of Ireland as a premier holiday destination. Its remit is to promote increased tourism to all of our island. The Taoiseach is aware of the British proposal for an electronic travel authorisation scheme. Unless there are proper exemptions for visitors from the United States and elsewhere, this will cause serious difficulties. Some 70% of visitors to Ireland come through Dublin Airport, a very important airport and point of arrival for the tourism business north of the Border and throughout the northern half of the country. Recently, the Committee on the Administration of Justice, CAJ, warned that US tourists travelling north from the Republic could be detained at the Border under the Tories' proposed asylum laws. The British Government has proposed an illegal migration Bill which, allied to the electronic travel authorisation scheme, could pose serious difficulties for travellers from the North to the South and the South to the North. I would like the Taoiseach and his officials to ensure a close eye is kept on those proposals as they go through Westminster.

See this speech in context