Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when he will publish the Education Ireland Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26068/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Education Ireland is a new body which is to be established in line with the recommendations of the Report on the Internationalisation of Education Services. The new body will be responsible for promoting the development of Ireland as a centre of excellence for international education. It will bring together, and build upon, the work of two existing bodies — International Education Board Ireland (IEBI), which promotes Irish third-level education overseas, and the Advisory Council for English Language Schools (ACELS), which undertakes voluntary regulation of the English language sector.

Education Ireland's specific functions will include:

promoting Irish educational services abroad;

awarding a Quality Mark to qualifying institutions;

operating a code of conduct for the pastoral care of international students;

regulating and certifying English language schools.

Education Ireland will also prepare, and submit to me, strategic plans for the development of international education services.

In order to expedite the establishment of Education Ireland, my Department is currently finalising arrangements to establish the body in the first instance as a limited company, with a view to putting it on a statutory basis as soon as possible thereafter.

Work on drafting the General Scheme of the Education Ireland Bill, which will put the body on a statutory basis, is underway within my Department with a view to having Government approval before the end of this year. Following drafting by the Parliamentary Counsel I would expect to be in a position to publish the Bill in the first half of 2009.