Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 April 2022
92. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views and those of his Department on section 81 of the nationality and borders Bill which is before the British Parliament, in particular subsection (1A) and its compatibility with and implications for the Common Travel Area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18566/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra93. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the impact that section 81 of the nationality and borders Bill which is before the British Parliament, in particular subsection (1A) would have on carriers and the documents required for Irish citizens travelling to Britain if operable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18567/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together.
I have been closely following the progress of the UK’s draft Nationality and Borders Bill through the legislative process in Westminster. As you will know, the Government has very real concerns regarding the proposed Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme set out in this draft Bill in the context of cross-border travel on the island of Ireland.
The British Government has said that there will continue to be no immigration checks on the land border and that the proposed ETA system will not apply to Irish or British citizens. However, as currently drafted, the Bill provides that the UK’s new immigration rules may require non-Irish and non-British citizens, visiting or resident in Ireland, to obtain an ETA before travelling across the land border to Northern Ireland.
The implementation of such a scheme would have implications for day-to-day life on this island, particularly for those in border areas, with potential implications also for cross-border healthcare, tourism, education, and integrated supply chains. Many thousands of people cross the border every day in the course of their daily lives, including to access essential services or to visit family. It is a uniquely shared space. This is something that the Irish and British Governments recognised and committed to in Strand 2 of the Good Friday Agreement. The proposed scheme could also have a major impact on tourism in Northern Ireland with over two-thirds of visitors from mainland Europe and the United States arriving in Northern Ireland via the South.
I discussed these concerns in detail with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at a recent meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin. The Minister for Justice has also written to her UK counterpart and our Embassy in London continues to engage at senior official level. We continue to encourage the British Government to reconsider its approach and to apply exceptions to their ETA proposals and how it will apply to journeys across the land border.
We cannot know the final form of the Nationality and Borders Bill. However, as it is currently drafted, section 81 of the bill on the liability of carriers would not give rise to any new restrictions on free movement between Ireland and the UK by Irish citizens under the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements. Irish citizens ordinarily do not require leave to enter the UK, so the provisions introduced by section 81 would not apply where the relevant individual is an Irish citizen.
In addition to our direct engagement with the British Government on its ETA proposals, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice have also been engaging regularly with counterparts in the British Government on other aspects of its reform plans for UK border control and immigration system, with a view to protecting longstanding CTA arrangements and the interests of Irish citizens and residents of Ireland.
