Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am always happy to see the Minister of State in the House but I am disappointed because I tabled this matter for the Department of Justice and it was transferred to the Department of Health. In December last, I tabled the exact same Commencement matter. Before I list chronologically some of the delays and problems around this, I will refer to the Minister of State's response to my Commencement matter on 9 December 2021. This is around the question of international students' health insurance. The Minister of State said:

As outlined in my opening reply, this issue concerns international students coming to study in Ireland who are required to adhere to particular immigration visa requirements, one of which relates to having private health insurance. I repeat that it is not within my policymaking role within the Department, as the Senator said. Officials in my Department have been engaging with officials in the Department of Justice to see if this requirement should be necessary for these students at all. It is good that those discussions are at an advanced stage and, in the coming weeks, I hope to have some positive progress to communicate to the Senator. Perhaps in two months, or certainly at some time next year, this issue will be resolved.

I first raised this issue in 2020, not long after I came into this House. The failure to address the question of health insurance for international students is potentially prohibiting a number of international students from coming here. As I communicated to the Minister of State in December of last year, this is an issue that falls between a number of Departments.

On 24 September 2020, I raised this matter with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris, and I have also raised it with him at Oireachtas committees. I have also raised the issue with the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. Every time I raise it, I am told that negotiations are taking place between officials.

On 5 March 2021, I introduced the Health Insurance (International Students) (Amendment) Bill, with the aim of addressing this matter. I engaged in discussions with the Department of Health and was told that discussions were taking place in other Departments. I decided not to proceed with an amendment to the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2021 because I was assured at the time that this matter would be addressed. As the Minister of State will recall, that assurance was given just a week after a Commencement debate taken by the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. In response to me, the Minister of State said:

I know this is causing a lot of bother for students from non-EEA countries studying in Ireland. I understand the officials are engaging on this and that there will be a positive update in the new year.

In February 2022, I raised this issue again on the Order of Business in this House. I have regularly raised it with officials in the Department of Health. Clearly, somebody in either the Department of Health or the Department of Justice is not doing his or her job. This situation cannot continue. For two years, I have been told that progress is being made, yet we are no further on since I first raised this issue in 2020. It is the international students who are impacted and losing out.

Last December, the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, gave me a commitment in good faith that the issue would be resolved within two months. While I have no doubt his approach to this matter is genuine, it is simply not acceptable that a number of Departments are supposed to be sorting out this matter and somebody is clearly not doing his or her job.