Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 163: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will respond to a query from a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37598/10]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 170: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of non-EU students who were enrolled at public higher education colleges and private higher education colleges for each of the past five years; and the countries of which they are nationals [37624/10]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 171: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the fees paid by non-EU students to higher education colleges in each of the past five years [37625/10]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 172: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an example of the annual fees paid to a higher education college by a student from outside the EU for a medical course [37627/10]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 173: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of students at higher education colleges who are classified as non-EU nationals and pay fees accordingly, even though they may be long-term residents here and their parents are taxpayers [37628/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 170 to 173, inclusive, together.

Under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Initiative the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study which are a minimum of two years duration in an approved higher education institution. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course.

Where undergraduate students do not meet the eligibility criteria of the free fees schemes, it is the higher education institution concerned that determines, in accordance with its criteria, the appropriate tuition fee payable by such students. Details of the number of non-EU students, as referred to by the Deputy, who are long term residents and whose parents are taxpayers are not readily available. An example of the level of annual fee currently payable by a non EU student for an undergraduate medical course amounts to some €31,000. The total provision to the Higher Education Sector (including capital, current grants etc) amounts to some €1.8 billion this year. This includes an amount of some €400 million in respect of the cost of the free fees schemes. Statistical data in relation to higher education colleges is collected by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Available date on the number and domiciliary of origin of full-time students enrolled in universities and institutes of technology are available on the HEA website at: http://www.hea.ie/en/statistics. Data in respect of student enrolments in private Higher Education colleges is not collected by the HEA.

Details on the amount of fees paid by non-EU students enrolled in universities and institutes of technology in each of the past five years are set out in the attached table (details in respect of the Institutes of Technology are only available for the last four years).