Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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184. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the changes he will make to the Irish short-stay visa waiver programme in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41716/13]

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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185. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide in tabular form the number of tourists who have visited here under the Irish short-stay visa waiver programme in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013. [41717/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 185 together.

The Irish short-stay Visa Waiver Programme for holders of certain categories of UK visa, which commenced in July 2011, is a demonstration of the Government's determination to maximise, to the greatest possible extent, the economic potential of the Common Travel Area (CTA). The Visa Waiver Programme allows persons from seventeen designated countries to travel to Ireland on the basis of a UK visa and it has proved very effective in attracting increased numbers of visitors from emerging tourist markets.

As visitors to Ireland availing of the Visa Waiver Programme do not need an Irish visa, the statistical data requested by the Deputy is not collected by my Department. However, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service of my Department has been advised by Tourism Ireland that the total number of trips to Ireland of residents of countries covered by the programme increased by approximately 38% in the 18 months after the programme was introduced. In addition, in relation to China and India alone, Tourism Ireland advises that some 55 new tour operator programmes to Ireland have been developed as a result of the introduction of the waiver programme. These programmes alone have contributed to over 13,000 additional visitors to Ireland from India and China.

Building on success of the Programme, work is continuing in partnership with the UK Home Office on the development of short-stay CTA visa arrangements which would allow tourists and business visitors to travel to the CTA, with first arrival in either jurisdiction, and thereafter to travel freely throughout the CTA. It is planned for the rollout of such a visa arrangements to commence in 2014. Prior to its introduction, the necessary technical and operational arrangements, including the capture of biometric data (fingerprints) in electronic format for visa applicants, need to be put in place between the two jurisdictions. The operation of the Irish short-stay Visa Waiver Programme will be kept under review in the context of the introduction of Common Travel Area visa arrangements with the UK.