Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State knows, five private language schools have closed in the past month. Anyone who has met or listened to interviews with the students affected by the closure of those language schools will be in no doubt as to the distress faced by many very genuine language students. There were abuses in a number of cases but the reality is that many students who came to this country, specifically to be educated and to learn English, find themselves stranded as a result of these five colleges closing. There are serious questions in regard to how that can happen. I have no doubt the Minister of State is aware of the impact that could have on our international reputation and of the importance of getting to grips with this quickly and ensuring it cannot happen again.

Many of the students who have been left stranded are in financial difficulty because they paid money for those courses. What can be done to recompense those students so that they can continue a course? The Irish Council for International Students suggested the establishment of a pop-up English language school to try to ensure those students can continue to learn English and pursue their education.

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