Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding visa policy (details supplied). [11738/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme has proved very successful with Central Statistics Office figures indicating a rise of 21% in trips from the countries covered by the Programme in the twelve months after its introduction compared to the twelve months before. The aim of the Programme was to help encourage increased tourism from growing markets. Therefore, in devising the Programme, officials in the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service of my Department consulted with tourism interests, both State and private, to identify those markets with the greatest potential for growth. On the other hand, a threshold for a successful rate of visa applications of 93% over a twelve-month period was applied for countries to be considered for inclusion in the Programme, this being the average success rate at the time for visa applications. The setting of such a threshold is a common feature of visa waiver programmes worldwide (e.g. for the USA the threshold is 95%). Neither Albania nor Macedonia met this criterion at the time of the setting up of the Programme and the figures for 2012 indicate that they remain below the threshold.

The Deputy may be aware that work has been ongoing, through the regular Common Travel Area Forum (CTAF) meetings between the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service and the UK Home Office and UK Border Agency, on the development of reciprocal short-stay Common Travel Area (CTA) visa arrangements. These arrangements would allow tourists and business visitors to travel to the CTA, with first arrival in either Ireland or the UK, and to travel freely between the two jurisdictions.

In relation to the countries that are visa-required, there are, in fact, very few differences between the two jurisdictions. There are only seven countries for whose citizens Ireland requires a visa for travel for which the UK do not. Conversely, there are ten countries for whose citizens the UK requires a visa but Ireland does not. Discussions on visa alignment are ongoing under the auspices of the CTAF Forum.

Neither Ireland nor the UK is bound by the provisions of the Commission Proposal COM (2012) 650. However, it should be noted that, of the proposed list of sixteen countries and five categories of British citizens for whom of the visa requirement will be lifted (in respect of those countries bound by the Proposal), all but four - East Timor, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau - are already, and have been for some time, visa-free for travel to Ireland. It should be noted that, in 2012, the total number of visit visa applications to Ireland from the six countries in question was 33, of which 25 were from Namibia. Therefore, it is very unlikely that lifting of the visa requirement would have any notable impact on tourist numbers.