As the Deputy is aware, the UK Government introduced secondary legislation in March to start to put in place its Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme in Autumn this year. Under the scheme non-Visa required nationals will generally need to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling to the UK.
The ETA requirement will not apply to Irish citizens due to the Common Travel Area arrangements. The secondary legislation introduced in March also established an exemption for legal residents of Ireland.
However, the fact that the proposed ETA scheme does not provide for an exemption for international tourists who wish to travel from Ireland to Northern Ireland is a matter of concern for the tourism industry, both North and South.
A majority of international visitors to Northern Ireland arrive via this jurisdiction. Seamless cross-border travel has been a key enabler to the record growth of tourism to the island over the past decade. Requiring many international tourists to apply online for an ETA in order to cross the border would result in an additional layer of bureaucracy and complexity, as well as an additional cost, for visitors.
Tourism stakeholders, including the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance, have clearly articulated their disappointment that an exemption from the ETA scheme for short-term visits from South to North has not been introduced.
Since 2021, the Irish Government has raised concerns about the ETA proposals with the UK Government. Governmental engagement on this issue has been primarily led by the Department of Foreign Affairs, but the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for Justice and other Ministers have also engaged directly with the UK Government, highlighting how the proposed scheme could inhibit the fluid nature of movement on the island and North-South cooperation, especially with regard to all-island tourism.
While I have had no direct contact on this matter with the Secretary of State, the Government will continue to engage with the UK Government and Northern Ireland stakeholders on the matter. The Government raised the UK’s ETA proposals again with the UK at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 19 June. We will closely monitor the impact of the ETA scheme on tourism and travel on this island.
