Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House to discuss this important issue. Like all Senators, the Fianna Fáil Members of the House are committed to maintaining the highest standards in education and to improving those standards where possible. In line with that, we broadly support the measures that are being introduced in this Bill. As Senators will be aware, most of the measures arise from a 2015 High Court case and are largely technical in nature. The measures in the Bill relate to the listing of awarding bodies, to statutory powers to evaluate providers and to the international education mark. The Bill makes a number of positive contributions, for example, by improving protections for English language students, providing greater powers to tackle cheating, introducing new powers to recognise private colleges and giving institutes of technology the power to confer degrees. We are concerned that the proposed supports under the learner protection fund, LPF, would see the State step in to act as an insurer for private language schools. It is possible that this could lead to potential costs for the State. Fianna Fáil believes that any potential funding which might come to be required should be subject to public scrutiny. While we will support the Bill on Second Stage, we believe the LPF measures might need to be amended at a later stage. Perhaps the Minister of State will take that on board. As I have said, all of us are committed to maintaining and, where possible, improving the highest standards in education. For that reason, I broadly welcome the Bill. Fianna Fáil will support it fully.