Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)

Mr. Smith mentioned plans to regulate the teaching English as a foreign language, EFL, sector. The latter is a huge sector. A number of colleges have been reporting a decline in numbers as a result of negative publicity. I worked very briefly in one of the colleges. There are very poor working conditions for EFL teachers, with low-hours contracts and low pay. RTÉ and The Irish Times covered a few infamous cases in recent years of schools closing and students protesting outside those schools because they were ripped off. Those students were left high and dry. Many of them were non-EU students, so they lost all their money.

ACELS, which has responsibility in this area, has indicated that it is short of the funds and staff necessary to allow it to regulate the sector. There have been a number of visa scams which have discredited the sector. There are fake colleges issuing acceptance letters to non-EU students in order to obtain residency permits. Will Dr. Murray expand on this, particularly as it is both illegal and is affecting the integrity of the genuine EFL providers? It affects everybody, really. It is a scam that is happening. Does Dr. Murray have any information on the regulation of it?