UK immigration officers will not be allowed operate in Irish ports and airports after Brexit, the Secretary General of the Department of Justice has said.

Noel Waters was speaking during a debate on the European Union Common Travel Area at the first meeting of the Seanad Special Committee on Brexit.

Fianna Fáil Senator Mark Daly told the committee that it was proposed in the House of Lords, and in the Guardian newspaper, that UK immigration officers could operate in our ports and he said this is "unacceptable".

But Mr Waters said there is no question of UK officials acting as border agents in Ireland.

"That is not on", he said.

Mr Waters said "there was some comment about that in the immediate aftermath of Brexit but was perhaps a little bit misinformed.

"We are not going to exercise a border control function for EU nationals for the UK. We do exercise that function in respect of non-EU nationals."