Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the average time it takes for a Chinese national living in China to get a visa to travel to Ireland on business or as a tourist; the requirements for a visa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43456/12]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality in view of the potential of the Chinese market to Ireland, the steps he is taking to expedite the issuing of visas to Chinese nationals wishing to visit this country for either business or pleasure purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43457/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 441 and 442 together.

Visa applications for Chinese Nationals living in China are handled by the Irish Visa Office in Beijing. That office is an office of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (I.N.I.S.) and it handles all aspects of visa applications including appeals. In general business visas are processed within two to five working days of receipt and visit visa applications for Chinese nationals within one to three weeks. This time frame is dependent on all the required documentation being provided with no queries remaining outstanding. It should also be noted that the approval rate for Irish visa applications lodged in China is in excess of 90%.

Guidelines on the visa application process for nationals of China, including details of the required supporting documentation can be found on the website www.embassyofireland.cn. I would also draw the Deputy's attention the following initiatives which are in operation in the Visa Office in China currently:

- The Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme, which allows tourists or business people who have lawfully entered the UK, including Northern Ireland, on a valid UK visa to travel on to Ireland without the requirement to obtain an Irish visa. The Government decided on 12 March to extend the Programme for a further period of four years i.e. to end October 2016, in light, particularly, of the positive response from tourism agencies and operators. The Visa Waiver Programme covers nationals of a total of sixteen countries, including China, where it has been a particular success. For example, I am informed by my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, that since the introduction of the Programme, 36 new tour operator itineraries to Ireland from China have been established, while existing itineraries have also experienced growth.

- With effect from 1 August, 2012, a more liberal multi-entry visa regime for business travellers and other visitors was implemented in the Irish Visa Office in Beijing. The regime allows for the issue of scaled term multi-entry visas of up to three years duration depending on the applicant's previous international visa history.

- In recognition of the growing number of independent tourists from China, a scheme was introduced in the Beijing Visa Office earlier this year under which independent travellers who had no connection with Ireland could apply for a visa, whereas previously they had to have an invite or be a member of an official Approved Destination Status (ADS) tour. The requirements for such a visa have been simplified and I am informed that Tourism Ireland has welcomed this initiative.

- For several years now, the Embassy in Beijing has been operating a scheme for Approved Destination Status (ADS) tourists. ADS group tourism visas were the main tourist visa obtained by Chinese citizens to travel worldwide - the approval to travel for their citizens must come from the Chinese authorities. Several measures were introduced to encourage this type of tourist to Ireland resulting in an ADS visa being one of the most straightforward and quickest Irish visa to obtain with processing times being less than three working days normally. The success of the Visa Waiver Programme has, to a large extent, eliminated the use of ADS visas for travel to Ireland alone.

My Department is constantly seeking ways in which the visa system can facilitate increased business and tourist visas from growing markets such as China and, in this regard, meets regularly with tourism and business promotion agencies to discuss initiatives in this area.