Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 37: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had any engagement with the Department of Justice and Equality on the matter of student entry visas; if he appreciates the volume of students that could be attracted to undertake higher level programmes here if the visa system was less impenetrable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7155/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, immigration policy is primarily a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality. However I, and my Department, work closely with the Department of Justice, on an ongoing basis, on student visas and other issues. Officials from my Department attend meetings of the interdepartmental consultative group, established by the Department of Justice and Equality, to ensure as far as possible, that the visa regime supports the priorities set out in Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy, the Government's Trade Strategy to 2015. The Department of Justice and Equality will shortly be updating the Export Trade Council, which I chair, on relevant developments in this area.

Officials from my Department were represented on both the group which developed the international education strategy 2010-2015 and on the committee which developed the revised student immigration regime, which is supportive of high-quality providers in the educational field. My Department is in regular contact with the Department of Education and Skills and continues to support implementation of the international education strategy through representation on the high level group which is chaired by the Department of Education and Skills.