Anthony Lawlor (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Fees are a major issue. There are schools, which I would call "visa factories" that are just charging students, getting them into the State where they can start working, but the students are not attending the schools. I am sure that some of the teachers from Grafton College would be aware that legally they are supposed to have about 15 students per class in a full classroom, but sometimes there may only be five or ten. The register might not note the reason those students are absent. I am concerned that this is across the sector, and now we are being looked at internationally, especially by those in the UK who would want to set up English language schools in Ireland as a result of Brexit. The fees that are being charged must reflect the cost associated with providing that service. We cannot have situations where schools are charging students while fully knowing that the fee would not cover the cost of the tuition involved. This is what is happening in the sector.