Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a really good question. I will say two things. Ireland is open for international students. Ireland has not closed its borders. There are strict rules in place as to how one safely enters and leaves the country and students need to follow those rules just like anybody else. If one is coming from a country that is on the red list, the law of the land is that one needs to go into mandatory hotel quarantine. If one is not coming in from such a country, one is welcome to come in and like anybody else, follow the self-isolation at home rules if that is the rule in place for the country from which one is coming. We are working with the institutions. We have provided funding as part of yesterday's package to assist them with some of those costs in terms of safely getting students from the airport to college accommodation, among other things.

I also briefed the Cabinet yesterday on a review of our international education strategy and our intention to form a new international education strategy. I have yet to launch it but I will do so in the coming week. Post-Covid, which we all hope to get to, post-Brexit and with the establishment of the new Department there is a real opportunity to have a discussion around international education and research and how that can assist Ireland with external relations. I will be happy to keep the committee briefed on that too.