Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 18 Oct 1994

Vol. 445 No. 9

Written Answers. - Holiday Visas to the US.

Michael Noonan

Ceist:

56 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the effort, if any, he has made to ensure that Irish citizens, who travel to the United States for holiday or business reasons, will no longer require a visa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [

Austin Deasy

Ceist:

76 Mr. Deasy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when holiday visas to the United States will be freely available; if he will intervene with the US authorities to see that such visas are granted more freely until the new legislation passed by the House of Representatives becomes law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1447/94]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

I will answer Questions Nos. 56 and 76 together.

I am very glad to confirm to the House that on 7 October the United States Congress passed the Nationality and Naturalisation Amendments Bill which, when it comes into effect around the end of the year, will mean Ireland's inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Programme. Irish passport-holders visiting the United States for tourism or business purposes for less then 90 days will then no longer be required to have a visa. In the meantime the visa requirement remains but I am confident that the US Embassy will be as sensitive as possible in its treatment of applications.

The Government lobbied extremely actively to secure Ireland's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Programme. I was personally very conscious of the anomaly whereby Ireland was one of only a few members of the European Union whose citizens were required to have visas to go to the US for short visits; on coming into office, I was determined to do everything possible to remove this anomaly. During each of my visits to Washington, I strongly pressed our case for inclusion in the programme in meetings with key members of the Administration and of Congress. I followed up these discussions by writing personally to each member of the Immigration Committee of the House of Representatives. Our Embassy in Washington worked very hard throughout to help achieve a successful outcome. My meetings in Washington in late September, when the House of Representatives had approved the new measure but discussions in the Senate were still pending, were particularly useful.

I would like to take this opportunity to place on public record the Government's deep appreciation of the efforts of our many friends, Democrats and Republicans, in the US Congress who supported this legislation. We are very pleased that Irish visitors to the United States will now be treated in the same way as visitors from the majority of other European countries.