Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his attention has been drawn to the concerns in the tourist industry of an aggressive immigration policy; if this matter has been raised by him with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18515/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Immigration policy is primarily a matter for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Every sovereign state has a right and a responsibility to protect its borders and I do not believe that Ireland operates an aggressive immigration policy. From a tourism perspective, we have been fortunate to enjoy record numbers of visitors to Ireland in recent years. We welcomed over 8 million overseas visitors last year. This performance clearly demonstrates that the vast majority of visitors to Ireland experience few difficulties getting here.

I am not aware of immigration policy being a significant concern to the tourism industry. However, I am aware of some recent incidents which have been highlighted by those involved in bringing students to Ireland to learn English as a foreign language. This sector is an important niche tourism market and Ireland's tourist agencies have been actively involved in the marketing of Ireland as a location for English language learning. In 2007, some 140,000 students came to Ireland to learn English. An Indecon economic report commissioned by Fáilte Ireland in 2007 estimated that the economic impact of the English language sector in Ireland could amount to around €500 million at 2006 prices.

It is very important to protect this important market. Accordingly, I am pleased that the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is carrying out a general review of student immigration. This review will draw up proposals for a more coherent approach to student migration consistent with Ireland's general immigration policy and with the Government's other policy objectives. The review is scheduled for completion in the near future and its recommendations will be discussed with other relevant Departments, including the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.

It is recognised that new and developing markets in the Asia-Pacific region represent significant opportunities for growth in tourist numbers in the medium to long term. Tourism Ireland completed and published its review of new and developing markets in December last year. The review sets out ambitious targets for both visitor numbers and revenue earnings over the period to 2013.

Unlike our more established tourist markets, visitors from these markets require a visa before entering Ireland. Tourism Ireland has specified that the need to ensure that visitors from these locations can secure the necessary visa in an efficient and cost-effective manner is of critical importance in maximising the opportunities from these markets. My Department has received a discussion paper from Tourism Ireland on the issue and will be pursuing the matters raised in it with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I wish the Minister well in his new post and I hope we will work as productively and cordially as we did in the transport area. I also thank him for his response. I raised the issue because of the concern expressed following the reported treatment of a Brazilian education specialist who came here to a trade fair that was to showcase Ireland. The person involved did not receive the céad míle fáilte we would like visitors to receive.

This is more than a niche market. It effectively constituted the tourism industry in Ireland in the 1980s, as virtually nothing else was happening back then. It is not subject to changes in discretionary income, unlike other elements of the tourism industry. It was there in the bad times and it will still be there if the bad times return. It needs to be nurtured as part of our tourism industry, although it is educational as well. It is a cross-cutting issue, but tourism will benefit most from it.

An education Bill was promised to regulate the schools that receive these students, but it never came to fruition. Some of the companies have a very bad name and are bringing in Chinese students but do not require them to attend classes, as they provide cheap labour around the country. If we are to maintain that tourist product, it must be reliable. It falls to the Minister to make sure that it is regarded as an important tourism product and he should talk to the Minister for Education and Science about it. The representational body of the international schools does not have any representation on the regional tourist boards, but the Minister could request Bord Fáilte to ensure that it does so because it is such an important part of the tourist industry.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I did not use the word "niche" to suggest the market is small or insignificant, but rather to suggest it is a specific part of the market. I would not consider the €500 million contribution per annum to the economy as insignificant either.

The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is carrying out a review of student immigration at the moment. We will be involved in the finalisation of that review. The recent report identified new and developing markets and we all agree that the Asia-Pacific region offers significant potential. From my time at the Department of Transport, I know the runway at Dublin Airport was lengthened to accommodate direct flights from the Far East. This has much potential for the future as people will not have to stop off in the UK before getting here. These developments augur well for growth in numbers from developing markets.

It is important we have a clear policy in place. There must be balance between ensuring we have a proper immigration policy and good controls in place, while ensuring the céad míle fáilte to those who come here is an obvious one.

A figure double our population, namely some 8 million people, came into the country last year. That this was successful demonstrates that, in large measure, our policy is working quite well. This does not mean we cannot enhance the procedures in place to protect existing markets and grow new markets.