Northern Irish sea passengers to mainland may face security check

Quick: What do Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, Ian Paisley, Jeffrey Donaldson, Mark Durkan, and Lady Sylvia Hermnon have in common? Two things: First, they are among the eighteen members of the British parliament representing Northern Irish constituencies in the House of commons; Second, soon they may be subjected to security checks similar to those other foreign visitors are subjected to when entering the rest of the United Kingdom via sea.

Stephen Dempster writes in News Letter that it has emerged that the Home Office is considering placing fresh restrictions on movement between Ireland, including the Province, and mainland Britain, under the e-borders program. The
new border control plans could mean Northern Ireland citizens have to go through new security checks, similar to those to which non-U.K citizens are subjected. The new electronic tracking system will record all movements of people, planes, vessels, vehicles, and goods arriving and leaving the United Kingdom.

The Government has yet to table final proposals, but one idea is that every person entering Great Britain would have to give one week’s notice and complete a questionnaire which contained some 96 questions, before arrival.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson (which should have added his name to the list above) has suggested the security procedures could also mean the introduction of airport-style early arrival times for ferry passengers. He has said the plans would reduce Ulster’s public to the role of “second class citizens” within the United Kingdom.

The e-borders project had already raised fears that people from Northern Ireland would have to produce a passport to enter Britain.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave former First Minister Ian Paisley an assurance this would not be so. Both the British and Irish governments, however, confirmed early in planning for e-borders that there were no plans to introduce controls on the 224-mile long border between the Republic and the Province, distinguishing this region of the United Kingdom and its border from others.

It is understood that Home Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary Meg Hillier has been receptive to the argument that Northern Ireland cannot be treated differently to the rest of the nation and that citizens there are entitled to the same protections offered by the border controls, in particular against the threat of international terrorism. Wilson said: “I wanted the minister to be very aware of the impact the proposed strategy would have on our ports and those traveling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. These measures would mean that there are more restrictions placed on the movement of Northern Ireland citizens than there are on other U.K. citizens. Because we have a land border with another state, we could be placed outside the e-border around the U.K.”

Wilson has suggested to the government that rather than taking a “Fortress Great Britain” approach, it should be taking a “Fortress British Isles” approach, incorporating Ireland in the e-border plans.

A Home Office spokeswoman said:

There are no plans to require people from Northern Ireland to produce passports when entering Great Britain or to introduce a fixed land border between Northern Ireland the Republic of Ireland.

We developed proposals for reform in close partnership with the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the Crown dependencies.

We will continue to work with the Irish government to increase intelligence sharing, stepping up border checks and strengthening our external borders to ensure that those obeying the law can travel freely within the CTA and those who are not are caught.