The proposal was put forward by the British Prime Minister on Sunday.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has dismissed the proposal suggested by Theresa May that once Brexit has kicked in, those wishing to cross the Irish border will have to register in advance of doing so, in order to avoid checks and delays.
It’s understood that, under the proposal, those who attempt to do so without registering will be considered to have “entered the state irregularly”.
Varadkar, who is currently on a tour to the United States ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, dismissed the claims on Monday morning stating that “it is not a solution that we envisage”.
Speaking to RTÉ, the Taoiseach said that he welcomes British cabinet ministers to visit the border to see first hand that it was “invisible”.
“They would certainly be very welcome to visit the border,” he said.
“I know (Northern Ireland Secretary) Karen Bradley has already done that and a delegation of British politicians from the House of Lords and House of Commons have done that too.
“I think it would be a good idea. I can’t see anything negative in a British cabinet minister viewing the border, seeing what it looks like.
“As is always the case, and this is true for any politicians or anyone in any walk of life, you can read as many briefing documents as you like, sometimes you need to see things with your own eyes.
“I think for that reason, they would be very welcome to visit the border and see it for themselves. And to see that it is invisible.”
In a statement previously posted on his website, the Taoiseach confirmed that a hard border would not be contemplated and that “there will be no physical infrastructure or related checks or control”.
“Three options have been set out as how this can be achieved. Our preferred option is a deep and comprehensive agreement between the EU and the UK in its entirety which will allow us to trade as we do now. However, that might not be possible,” the statement continues.
“So there is a backstop arrangement in which Northern Ireland and perhaps all of the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with rules of the Internal Market and Customs Union which are relevant to the avoidance of a border, north-south co-operation and the all-island economy.”
The Taoiseach has mentioned his distaste for a hard border before, referencing how a system similar to the Canada-US border “is definitely not a solution that we could possibly entertain”.
The former Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain also spoke on the matter, mentioning the social implications for re-establishing such a system. Hain said that the proposal of pre-registering “would be risking immediate civil unrest”.
“If I was Northern Ireland Secretary and this report came on to my desk, its next stop would be the bin,” he said.
In December, British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to regulatory alignment across the UK to avoid border posts and checks.
Six months ago, a policy paper was released by the UK Government that detailed the proposals surrounding the matter which had focused on the need to avoid a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.
The policy paper “outlines the UK’s position on addressing the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland and Ireland in light of the UK’s EU withdrawal.”
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