UK and Republic to seal borders
North/south checkpoints not part of plan to end 80 years of free movement
Friday, 25 July 2008
Print
Email
The Home Office has announced plans to make travellers between the UK and the Republic carry passports less than a year after denying the changes were being considered.
Passengers could face full checks when heading into the UK from the Republic, effectively sealing the borders and ending the 80 years of free movement.
Full immigration checks will be introduced on flights from 2009 and at ports by 2010 under the proposals announced yesterday.
The changes to the Common Travel Area (CTA) are an attempt to stop the Republic becoming an easy gateway to the UK for people-traffickers and smugglers.
“We must guard against the risk of any part of our border security becoming a weaker link,” said a Home Office spokeswoman
Both Governments fully recognise |the particular |circumstances of Northern Ireland
But there is “absolutely no intention” of having checkpoints on the land border, the spokeswoman added.
The cost over the next three years, including up to £12m a year in lost tourism revenue, are estimated at between £80-125m.
But around £103m is expected to be saved through cuts in fraud with up to £10m a year predicted from the estimated reduction in tobacco smuggling.
In a joint statement, Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern and UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: “It is crucial that our two countries work closely together to ensure our borders are stronger than ever.
“We have agreed a range of joint and national measures specifically to strengthen our CTA.
“In developing these measures, both governments fully recognise the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland.
“Both governments reaffirm that they have no plans to introduce fixed controls on either side of the Irish land border for immigration or other purposes.
“We will tackle the challenges we face head on through the use of state-of-the- art border technology, joint sea and port operations and the continued exchange of intelligence.
“We are both introducing electronic border management systems so we can count people in and out of the country, and identify those people who may be of interest to our law enforcement authorities. We are committed to preserving the CTA and its benefits for legitimate travellers.”
More than 15 million passengers travelled between Republic of Ireland and the UK in 2006 by air and sea.
The proposals will go out to consultation until October, but bolstering the security operation is the “preferred option”.
Checks could involve examination of a passport or another form of ID for CTA residents — in other words, British and Irish nationals — to establish if they are free to travel within the zone.
CTA residents and foreign passengers could be separated on arrival into channels similar to those already in place for European passengers on international flights.
The plans do not cover travel between Northern Ireland and mainland UK, which will be the subject of a further set of proposals later this year, a Home Office said.
Post a comment
Limit: 500 characters
View all comments that have been posted about this article
Offensive or abusive comments will be removed and your IP address logged and may be used to prevent further submissions. In submitting a comment to the site, you agree to be bound by BelfastTelegraph.co.uk's Terms of Use.
Posts submitted in UPPERCASE letters will be rejected.
Also in this section
- PM accused over 'vested interests'
- Man charged over 'honour' killing
- Girl rescued in trafficking raid
- Abuse and celibacy 'not linked'
- Boy charged over screwdriver death
Comments
26 Comments
Its a good idea if you ask me, and its the UK governments way of saying to northern ireland we dont want you. If the UK could give Northern ireland back to the republic i think it would straight away.
Posted by Ryan | 31.07.08, 12:29 GMT
I dont want to see N.I turn into a dump.
Posted by Dave
Are ye blind
Like the way planters were dumped in 300 years ago by the English, there was no border control then, is that what yer gettin at
Posted by Sammy | 28.07.08, 16:30 GMT
The eve tighting control of Brit rule North and South is a noose drawing ever tighter. Let those who beleive in Freedom fight this measure with any means available.
Posted by sean o lubaigh | 28.07.08, 11:29 GMT
"No would be terrorist is going to travel directly to Britain from the ROI when he can avoid these controls by slipping into NI and crossing from there."
Yes exactly. For this to be sensible and logical the control has to be between Britain and the Island of Ireland and between the Island of Ireland and the mainland (that's France)
Crossing the border into the Six counties is easy, even with a load of red diesel and a trailer full of dodgy cattle. The Brits never controlled any land border in Ireland and never will.
It is the perfect prelude to a New All Ireland security arrangement.
Posted by Bob the Rustler, Crosmaglen | 28.07.08, 11:19 GMT
Passport or id cards what is the reson 80 years of free movement gone just like that, can anyone please tell me at what point do we stop waisting money on poinless resons of fear, I once belived this was a good country when laws where made from comensense and reasoning but not any more I can’t take any more of this bull of waisting millions I mean billions or is it now trillions! to what point do we the British people stand up and say no more waisting tax payers money, I supposs this is Justified by some government idiot who thinks that wasting money on reforms has some sort of spur of the moment towards his or her job prospects, is this just the start of id cards or a chip in your arm I suppose when I want to travel to London in the near future I will request a travelers pass? so I can see the system of unprotested fear injected into my vains like some hocked up drug taker, does this make it a safer place then to live too be subjected to intimadasion or Hyped up hysteria im british 2
Posted by Nigel | 28.07.08, 10:23 GMT
"The innocent have nothing to fear" has to be one of the most stupid and obnoxious refrains of modern times and can (and will) be used to justify almost any limitation of freedom. As for this particular abomination, I grew up in NI and even in the worst days of the Troubles was rarely stopped at border security posts. And even then it was generally only the driver of the car that had to produce ID.
Posted by Billy Barnett | 28.07.08, 07:36 GMT
It is a waste of time and money to have controls between mainland UK and the Irish Republic without land border controls as well between north and south. No would be terrorist is going to travel directly to Britain from the ROI when he can avoid these controls by slipping into NI and crossing from there.
Posted by foxy | 27.07.08, 19:03 GMT
This is the british governments way of saying to Irish Republicans that they will never be leaving is it not? Next thing will be an Israeli type containement wall like the horrid wall in palestine.
Posted by Magoo | 27.07.08, 18:36 GMT
i'm from sweden and have denmark just 20 min away on a boat. For as long as i know we haven't had to use passports going back and forth and im glad that both sweden and denmark can see the good thing with this even if that creats an imigration problem. I hope it never will come to be that stupid that we will have to use passports. Reading the article makes me wounder about were everything is going when you dont give people the benefit of a doubt but think that most are criminals. At the border where i live instead of checking everybody, checks are made now and then to suspicous people but its enough with a common id card.
Posted by swede | 27.07.08, 06:55 GMT
GOOD IDEA. THE REPUBLIC IS AFTER ALL FOREIGN.LIKE ANY OTHER REPUBLIC.N. IRELAND REMAINS BRITISH, ANDNO RESTRICTIONS SHOULD BE THERE, HOWEVER PERSONS FROM THE SOUTHCAN EASILY GO TO THE NORTH, AND THEREFOR THE UK.I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER.
Posted by RICHARD SHERWOOD | 26.07.08, 13:02 GMT
The obvious solution is to get rid of the border.
Posted by bill | 26.07.08, 02:02 GMT
I am elated to see this happening. It will make many of the perhaps ignorant tourists more aware that the island IS indeed two seperate countries.
Posted by Colin | 26.07.08, 01:00 GMT
There shouldent be security checks on mainland ireland. I know n.ireland is still part of the united kingdom. But what does that say for people born in n.ireland with a irish passport. Do they have to keep checking with the border controls every time, its a waste of time and effort. Tighting up on the waters, with having more protrols and more security on airports they should do. In my opinion this is a sign of worries towards england losing n.ireland to the republic of ireland in time.
Posted by martin blythe | 25.07.08, 20:27 GMT
Ireland and UK are not signatories to Schengen; the CTA is the equivalent for these isles, although they have agreed, but not yet implemented, cross-border policing co-operation under Schengen
Posted by Rat | 25.07.08, 15:54 GMT
If Chris had read the other comments before posting his new one, 25.07.08, 1312 GMT he would have seen that SMacX just before him stated "Both countries are signatories to the Shenken agreement". Whats his problem?
Posted by paul simpson | 25.07.08, 15:28 GMT
Goverments started immigration they should fix it without penalising people they should stop them when they come into the country in case Dermot Ahern does not know where this is its called an Airport
Posted by matt | 25.07.08, 15:00 GMT
It is already in place to travel to England/Scotland/Wales from belfast by boat or plane you need a driving license/passport, it's been like that for years. Aren't NI UK citizens?
Oh yeah and when flying NI passengers are still horded off to a little gate on their own where, until recent years, you were intimidated by an eye-balling security chief. And if you were unlucky you were taken to the side and asked questions ranging from what colour your underpants were, to what the purpose of your visit was, to why you chose to comb your hair in a side shade this morning.
Posted by Gav | 25.07.08, 14:04 GMT
Why do people have a problem with this, at the end of the day, it is checking people who are travelling from one country to another, the innocent have nothing to fear, really how hard is it to carry your passport if you know you are going to be crossing the border?
If this reduces the number of illegal immigrants coming to the United Kingdom and stops people smuggling things like fuel across the border, then I can only see benefits coming from this.
Posted by Robert Scott | 25.07.08, 13:57 GMT
Obviously Ireland wants to join Schengen.
Posted by Chris | 25.07.08, 13:12 GMT
This is nothing short of criminal. Both countries are signatories to the Schenken agreement. For Gods sake, wise up. You do not tackle criminal behaviour by restricting the freedom of the honest man on the street. You do it by taking away the freedom of the criminals! I am ashamed that Dermot Ahern has signed up to this. For him to take away something that was hard fought for is nothing short of scandalous. The police have been making great inroads into the criminals empires, let them continue, not hamstring them!
At the end of the day, like everything else Joe Public holds the can. And our politicians keep peeing in it!
Posted by SMacX | 25.07.08, 13:09 GMT
26 Comments