Written answers

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Department of Justice and Equality

Visa Agreements

Photo of Timmy DooleyTimmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the follow up action he has taken in the wake of his call for extension of British-Irish common travel area to assist tourism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57224/12]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that in March last year the Government decided to extend for a four year period the Irish Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme to the end of October, 2016. The programme, which was devised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, was originally scheduled to run on a pilot basis until last October. The Programme allows tourists or business people from certain countries 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. There has been a very positive response from tourism agencies and operators to this initiative. Figures from the Central Statistics Office indicate that the number of visits to Ireland from the countries included in the programme increased by 21% in the twelve months following its introduction. This is a significant increase and a very positive indicator of the success of the Programme.

INIS is continuing to work closely with their UK counterparts towards the implementation of a common visa for short stay visitors. It is anticipated that such a visa will prove an attractive option for tourists and business visitors, particularly in the context of the island of Ireland by facilitating visitors to travel freely between Northern Ireland and Ireland without the need for a separate Irish or UK visa.

One of the prerequisites to its introduction is the requirement that all visa applicants supply fingerprint (biometrics) data electronically which is currently an essential element of applying for a UK visa. Obviously Ireland does not have the capacity to capture such data for all visa applications worldwide; currently for UK visas this is done in over 150 countries. Work is ongoing, through the regular Common Travel Area Forum meetings between INIS and the UK Home Office, on an agreed approach to this and other aspects prior to its introduction.

The project demonstrates the mutual benefits of working in close cooperation with the UK immigration authorities and of adopting a practical approach which will both enhance the preservation of the integrity of the CTA as well as harnessing the potential to deliver economic and tourism benefits for both countries. Finally, I personally had discussions with the UK Minister for Immigration on 4th February where we reviewed progress on this Joint objective.

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