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The DUP have said there is \u201cvalue in exploring\u201d a two-island approach by Ireland and the UK to international travel as part of the pandemic response.<\/p>\nThe DUP have said there is \u201cvalue in exploring\u201d a two-island approach by Ireland and the UK to international travel as part of the pandemic response.<\/p>\n
The party\u2019s leader in Westminster, Jeffrey Donaldson, said there was a lot of scope for cooperation in the Common Travel Area that operates between the two islands.<\/p>\n
T\u00e1naiste Leo Varadkar said last week that preliminary discussions on such an approach have begun with the UK government.<\/p>\n
Asked about an approach that would encompass the five jurisdictions of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic, Mr Donaldson said: \u201cI think there is value in exploring that, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told Newstalk\u2019s On The Record with Gavan Reilly: \u201cAs I\u2019ve said it needs to be done on a United Kingdom and Common Travel Area basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there is a lot of scope for cooperation on the whole question of the Common Travel Area.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly, in terms of international visitors coming in to the Common Travel Area, there is scope for greater cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UK has recently announced strict new mandatory hotel quarantine measures for passengers arriving from 33 \u201cred list\u201d countries.<\/p>\n
Penalties of up to \u00a310,000 (\u20ac11,000) or 10 years in prison have been introduced for those who try to conceal that they are travelling from a red list country.<\/p>\n
The Irish Government has announced its own list of 20 red list countries but has swerved such severe penalties for non-compliance.<\/p>\n
At a press conference last week, Mr Varadkar backed a two-island approach.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe best thing I think we can do is try to coordinate.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Northern Ireland is a back door to the Republic of Ireland, Ireland is a backdoor to Britain and to England.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best thing we can do is work together on this, and I\u2019m a strong advocate of the two-islands strategy, Britain and Ireland, as much as we can, aligning and working together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Donaldson criticized the Dublin Government\u2019s failure to share data with the Stormont Executive on passengers arriving into the Republic, who may be travelling on to Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWith respect, it\u2019s not just about Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about the United Kingdom as a whole, and the Republic of Ireland, because we know at the moment there are difficulties, for example in data sharing, which normally happens under the Common Travel Area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Northern Executive has been waiting for over 10 months for the Irish government to agree to share data on people who have entered the Republic of Ireland, through ports or airports, and are traveling on into Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo with the greatest of respect, the difficulty here is not Unionists in the Northern Ireland Executive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suggest you ask the relevant Irish Government minister, why over 10 months later, on foot of a request from the Northern Ireland Executive for the sharing of data, we are still waiting for the Irish Government to approve that request.\u201d<\/p>\n