Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister's comments on the economic impact inward migration of students can have for our economy. The spin-off that can create in the wider economy is immense. Unfortunately, we are playing second fiddle to the United Kingdom in terms of tapping into the potential of that unrealised market and anything we can do should be done post haste.

With regard to a separate but linked issue, we are having a discussion around the criminalisation of the purchase of sex and the area of prostitution and are engaged in the consultation under way currently. We know there is factual evidence that many of those people who are trafficked into this country for the purpose of prostitution or sex work travel here on visas for educational purposes. The Minister may not have the figures to hand on this, but has he any handle on the number of people the authorities have come across in prostitution who have educational type visas?

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