ID to be issued for Irish travelling to Britain

IRISH people will be issued with some form of identity document they can use when travelling to Britain as part of a move to maintain the common travel area, Justice Minister Brian Lenihan has said.

Details have still to be worked out as to what form the document will take, but it will have to be brought in to coincide with the introduction of e-borders (pre- travel checks on passengers) by Britain next year.

The British government intends to issue biometric ID cards from 2010 to its citizens and to Irish and other foreigners living in Britain. Each card will have up to 49 pieces of information including iris patterns and fingerprints.