Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide a breakdown of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service figures for visa applications from Russia and Turkey for 2011 and 2012, in terms of type of visa applied for; the purpose of the visit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6835/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that the total number of visa applications from Russia and Turkey in 2011 amounted to 12,634 and 3,506. The corresponding figures for 2012 amounted to 13,504 and 3,911 respectively. The Visa Office in Moscow accepts applications from residents of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The Irish embassy in Ankara accepts applications from residents of Turkey and Azerbaijan. It is not possible to disaggregrate the number of visas in respect of Russian and Turkish nationals from the overall figures without a disproportionate amount of effort. The grant rate for applications from both countries was 97% in each of the years in question.

The majority of visa applications from Russia and Turkey are for Short Stay Visas for the purpose of tourism, family visits or business. The Deputy may be aware that since 1 July, 2011 visitors from Russia and Turkey who are in possession of a UK visa and who have passed UK immigration control have been able to avail of a Visa Waiver Programme which means that they do not also require an Irish visa to travel to Ireland. Notwithstanding this concession, the number of applications from Russia and Turkey has grown in the period since the introduction of the Visa Waiver Programme, and trips from all of the countries covered by the Programme increased by 21% in the twelve months following its introduction. These are good indications of the success of promotional initiatives such as the Visa Waiver Programme in raising awareness of Ireland as a tourist and business destination.

The Deputy may also wish to note that INIS, in partnership with Marketing English in Ireland (MEI), the representative body for English language schools, has recently commenced pilot programmes in Turkey to attract English language students to Ireland. These will mainly be second level students coming to Ireland for short stays, together with third level students and executive level employees who may come for either short or medium stays in order to further their knowledge of the English language.