Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department is focused on increasing the numbers of students coming to this State for educational purposes. There are enormous benefits for the State in increasing the number, including from the impact on future economic relationships between Ireland and the various countries from which students come. The Government is taking a comprehensive approach to the student migration regime. The new immigration regime for full-time non-EEA students forms part of a comprehensive overhaul of the international education system in Ireland and my Department and the Department of Education and Skills are working closely together in this regard.

My colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, has implemented a comprehensive reform process in the education sector, including the establishment of a new qualifications and quality agency. He also plans to establish a quality mark for English language schools and further and higher education colleges as part of efforts to get more international students to study here. I strongly support this initiative as it should make it much harder for disreputable providers to function and will act as a significant marketing tool to attract students to this country.

In addition, the Department of Education and Skills established a new high level group charged with the development of the strategy for building Ireland's international education sector. This group, under the chairmanship of the Department of Education and Skills, brings together the key Departments and agencies involved and includes a representative of my Department. We regard this area as one of substantial growth for the coming years. In the work we are doing in my Department, we are looking at the various possibilities with regard to ensuring we have a proper system in place which does not create unnecessary obstacles for those who wish to come here to study.

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