Common Travel Area
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-19
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Matt Carthy (SF), Cavan-Monaghan

We can have our opinions on Brexit. In fact, I am sure we would agree on many points. However, we would also need to agree on the fact that Brexit is a fact of life and that we find ourselves in a unique position. It is a fact that no other state which has signed up to the EU migration and asylum pact is also part of a common travel area with a state outside of the Union. The Minister has repeatedly made the claim, as have other Ministers, that the majority of international protection applicants enter the State via the common travel area. In fact the Minister's review of Protocol 21, which was published last year, acknowledged that the opt-outs we had to things like the migration pact were important in order to maintain the common travel area.
The Minister referred to discussions he has had with British Ministers. Correct me if I am wrong, but I did not hear anything about either a fundamental change or a new bilateral agreement being on the cards.
Does the Minister not accept that this is what is required between this Government and the British Government if we are to have an asylum process that works?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-19