Travel checks for people moving from Donegal and Derry slammed as 'Tory attack' on border communities

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, meanwhile, has said the proposals could cause 'considerable disruption to the daily lives and livelihoods of many people' and have a 'significant impact on tourism' into the north.

Under Britain's Nationality and Borders Bill, which is in its final stages in Westminster, non-Irish European Union and non-EU citizens living in the 26 counties will have to produce 'papers' to get from Donegal to Derry.

Speaking in the Dáil this week, Buncrana-based Sinn Féin T.D. Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, slammed the proposed measure.

He said: "How are we supposed to attract investment into what are called the gateways of Derry and Letterkenny? Thousands of people travel across what is, thankfully, a seamless border every day for work and education.

"That is how our border region functions. This is an attack by a Tory Government that has given no thought to and has no regard for our border communities. It has repeatedly acted recklessly since the Brexit vote in 2016.

"We are asking the Minister to stand up firmly for the interests of more than 600,000 people who work, pay taxes and live in our communities and contribute to our country. They are a core part of our country and they are going to be treated as second-class citizens. It is untenable and I wish to know what the Minister is going to do about it."

Donegal Independent T.D. Thomas Pringle said: "In reality, while the UK has said there will not be any checks, if there is a system at the border where it is necessary for people to register, then there must be some provision or allowance for checks on that system at some stage in the future as well."

And the Sinn Féin T.D. Pearse Doherty said: "Given that the House of Commons has overturned the amendment to the legislation made by the House of Lords, the situation now is that a Polish person living in Lifford and having to travel across the bridge to Strabane will need a visa, an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which will cost money.

"It will state clearly on it how long it will last for and how many trips the holder will be allowed to undertake on that visa. This is a ridiculous situation because of the number of non-Irish and non-British people who live in our country and reside beside the border.

"Many of them travel across the border to work or to bring their kids to school. This development really damages the common travel area. Additionally, a further provision in the Bill imposes a penalty of £2,000 on people who travel to London on aircraft without appropriate identification."

Minister Coveney thanked the Donegal TDs for raising what he described as an important issue and said he had 'several concerns regarding the proposed electronic travel authorisation scheme set out in the Bill in the context of cross-border travel on the island of Ireland in the context of the issues raised by all three Deputies'.

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Mr. Coveney said he discussed those concerns in detail with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, at a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin last Thursday.

"The introduction of the proposed ETA scheme for cross-Border journeys could cause considerable disruption to the daily lives and livelihoods of many people across the island of Ireland who are not Irish or British citizens, particularly those residing in border areas, including the north west.

"The scheme could have a significant impact on tourism in Northern Ireland, with more than two thirds of visitors from mainland Europe and the US arriving in Northern Ireland via the South. There are also potential implications for cross-border healthcare, education and integrated supply chains.

"It is clear border counties such as Donegal would be particularly affected by these matters. Most journeys to and from Donegal naturally cross the border, and residents of Donegal and other border counties would also be well aware that the closest amenity or essential service is often found across the border, and they would, therefore, be especially conscious of the impact that the ETA scheme as currently conceived would have."

However, the minister noted that the legislative process was continuing despite the fact that on March 22 a majority of MPs in the British House of Commons voted against a House of Lords amendment that would have exempted cross-border journeys into the north from the proposed ETA requirements.

"It is important to say the legislation is not yet through Westminster. It has come from the House of Lords with an amendment, which has been rejected in the House of Commons, but it may well go back to the House of Lords before coming to the House of Commons again. There is time to try to change this and I assure the Deputies we will be very active in our attempts to do that," he said.