Mr. Brian Hearne:

As we see it, there is currently a lack of oversight in respect of the monitoring for compliance with the ILEP regulations. We want the IEM to have these monitoring and oversight systems in place to ensure that from the moment people pay their course fees, the money is secure. What we found with many of the school closures that have occurred in recent years is that the international students who arrive in Ireland have been covered by learner protection and have been able to complete their courses at a different English language school. The people who have not been able to come here for one reason or another, perhaps because their visa has been refused, have more often than not been left with nothing. They have not been allowed to study here because they have been refused a visa and have not been able to get their course fees returned.