John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 140: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to change the visa requirements for Chinese nationals entering the country for tourism purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33885/11]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 141: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Chinese nationals entering the country on a UK granted holiday visa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33886/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 141 together.

There are no plans at the present time to change existing visa requirements for Chinese nationals seeking to visit Ireland for holiday purposes. However, the Deputy may be aware of the Visa Waiver Programme for the holders of certain Short Stay UK Visas which commenced operation as recently as 1 July, 2011. Under this programme, which was announced as part of the Government's Jobs Initiative and is aimed at promoting tourism and other economic activity, the holders of the appropriate UK Visas who have first landed in the UK and have permission to be in the UK may also travel to Ireland without the need to also obtain an Irish visa. The programme covers the citizens of a total of 16 countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia, including China. In conjunction with the announcement of the Visa Waiver Programme and in order that nationals of the 16 countries in question who are permanently resident in the UK who may wish to visit Ireland are not placed at a disadvantage, my department has put arrangements in place for visas to be issued free of charge through the Visa Office in the Irish Embassy in London.

Many Chinese nationals travelling to Ireland will be Approved Destination Status (ADS) tourists - the approval comes from the Chinese authorities. As has been the case for several years now, ADS tourists who are in possession of a UK visa and who apply for an Irish visa are issued with that visa free of charge. While is not possible at this time to state definitively how many additional Chinese tourists have arrived as a result of the Visa Waiver Programme, the initial indications of the impact of the Programme are very positive. I am committed also, as stated at the launch of the Programme, to carry out a formal review of the Programme and I hope to have this review completed as early as possible in 2012. In this context, I will be seeking the input and cooperation of the tourism industry and carriers in order to assess the overall impact of the scheme.