Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking discussions with her Irish counterpart on establishing an all-island work visa for the island of Ireland.

The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security which is underpinned by our joint commitment to protecting the Common Travel Area (CTA) from abuse while preserving the rights of British and Irish citizens.

However, the operation of the CTA has never required the UK and Ireland to have entirely harmonised immigration arrangements and UK immigration policy is determined for the benefit of the UK.