Irish border: New UK travel rules nonsensical, says Stephen Farry

There is currently freedom of movement across the Irish border

New immigration and travel rules set to come into force across the UK from next year are nonsensical, an Alliance MP has said.

Stephen Farry said added bureaucracy could hurt tourism, and affect non-Irish and non-British citizens crossing the Irish border into the UK.

The Home Office published new immigration plans on Wednesday.

It includes a 'Permission to Travel' scheme with new rules for entering the UK.

The scheme, which is part of the government's plan for border control post-Brexit, was initially due to be introduced in 2025, but the Home Office now say it will begin next year.

UK and Irish citizens can travel freely into each other's countries under the Common Travel Area arrangement (CTA), while those who require visas will be able to use those for entry into the UK.

But there are questions over how tourists, and non-Irish and non-British citizens living in the Republic will be affected by the rules.

The Home Office publication, titled a New Plan for Immigration: Legal Migration and Border Control, indicates that non-visa international visitors will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to come into the UK.

Those who need an ETA will have to apply for one in order to gain 'permission to travel' across the Irish border from the Republic of Ireland.

Mr Farry said the plans do not acknowledge the "particular circumstances" of the border.

Stephen Farry has asked the Home Office a number of questions about how the rules would be implemented

He said the ETA was a "new piece of bureaucracy" for residents on the island who are neither British nor Irish citizens.

Mr Farry added that those people, who currently have freedom of movement across the border, may make "hundreds of journeys across the border, over the course of a year, sometimes on a daily basis".

Sinn Féin have also criticised the plan, saying it was unacceptable to introduce the "prospect of visa requirements for certain people travelling across this island".

Niall Ó Donnghaile, a Sinn Féin senator in the Republic of Ireland, said it would be "an affront to the Good Friday Agreement and would cause untold damage to community, societal and business relations".

Concern over tourism implications

Earlier this year, tourism leaders warned the proposal to require international travellers to apply for a permit to cross the Irish border would damage their industry.

Mr Farry warned issues remained with the new rules published on Wednesday.

"The vast majority of visitors to the island of Ireland enter through Dublin and many people who visit Northern Ireland will travel up from the south either as individuals, or as part of tour parties.

"Again, this will be another bureaucratic problem. Tourism Northern Ireland are very concerned about the implications of this."

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Mr Farry said he had met with a Home Office minister in March about putting in place "distinct arrangements" to address issues on the island.

He called for those efforts to be accelerated and said he had tabled a number of questions to the Home Office to clarify the plans regarding non-Irish residents in the Republic of Ireland.

BBC News NI has approached the Home Office for a comment.

Earlier this year, a former Northern Ireland secretary of state, Lord Murphy, called the plan "daft and potentially dangerous".

He claimed it had been "drawn up clearly by people who know nothing about Northern Ireland".

Lord Murphy also warned of the impact on tourism, saying: "When people come here, they want to see both ends of the island, to impose this unnecessary restriction on them could jeopardise a sector already severely hit by Covid."