WHBM:
QUOTE:
It's been like this at Irish airports for a couple of years. The Irish just decided to start looking at passports, whereas in the opposite direction arrivals from Ireland into the UK still adhere to the CTA agreement.
Of course under any reasonable government the UK Foreign Office would have gripped this straight away, and brought it back to the requirements of the agreement between the UK and Ireland. But the UK Foreign Office, under its current Maestro David Miliband and his predecessors, have never cared for things as boring as convenience of travellers from the UK, there aren't a lot of champagne receptions at embassies or media opportunities for the Minister to be got out of that, so they aren't interested.
UNQUOTE
WHBM, you are not correct. The Irish didnt just decide to start looking at passports. The law was changed by both States in 1997 to include a provision that an acceptable form of identification must be carried.
Now...move on a few years and Ireland is getting overwhelmed by the number of people entering the country illegally and claiming 'asylum'. The vast majority of these entered via the UK. In fact they were able to get into the UK illegally and use that as a stepping stone to enter Ireland. This was as a direct result of the continued failure of the UK to secure it's own borders. In fact there was a situation for a while where Irish Immigration authorities were stopping people from entering the country illegally and returning them to the UK. These people arrived in the UK and were then being sent back to Ireland as the UK authorities had no record of them.
There's also another European Law out there. It states that anybody who wishes to make an application for asylum must do so in the FIRST european country in which they land. Given that Ireland has never had direct flights or sailings from most of the countries from which these 'asylum' seekers come from it stands to reason that they must have staged through another country prior to arriving in Ireland. Regrettably, in most cases this country was the UK.
You say that 'any reasonable government would have brought it back to the requirements of the agreement between the UK and Ireland'.
I remember entering the UK for many many years and being stopped under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act on the sole basis that I had arrived from Ireland. On every occasion I was asked for identification. No I didnt have to carry a passport and a driving license would suffice. BUT, it's also written in the CTA agreement that it is an offence to refuse to produce when asked, by and authorised officer, any form of identification that may be in your possession. As i always carry my passport I had no choice but to produce it. Before you say that was the police...yes it was, but they are deemed to be authorised officers. So the UK, has for all these years, pretending to abide by the good spirit of the CTA agreement but has been checking passports/driving licences by using the Prevention of Terrorism Act...this was before the change of law in 1997! Before then the agreement was that citizens of either country could travel unimpeded between both countries.!
As a direct result of the numbers of illegals entering the Republic the Irish Authorities were left with little choice but to introduce 100% screening for CTA passengers.
Now I suggest you look at the new Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill published by the UK Gove. This proposes to Control EVERYBODY arriving from another CTA country including the Channel Islands and the Isle Of man. In effect is will do away with the CTA and it has been proposed by the UK
With regard to the original posters question:
Your partner is not a Citizen of either the UK or the Republic of ireland and therefore he needs a visa to enter the republic. Full stop.
If he crosses the land border he is doing so illegally and is liable to deportation if he is caught. He may also be in breach of the terms of his UK visa so get him to think carefully.