Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if third level institutions can be encouraged, through additional informal courses and other methods, to assist students in maintaining and improving their language skills, particularly if said language is not a component of their degree course. [17984/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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In addition to the broad range of foreign language courses available across the higher education sector, institutions also offer students an opportunity to take language modules as part of other undergraduate programmes across business, the arts, the humanities and the sciences, even where it is not a named component of a degree.

There are also increasing opportunities for students to improve their language skills by participating in exchange programmes and study visits abroad. The EU's Erasmus programme provides a significant opportunity for students to improve their language skills by pursuing some of their studies abroad. To date, 28,000 Irish students have participated in Erasmus. Former Erasmus students have recorded a range of personal, cultural, educational (including linguistic) and career benefits from their experience.