Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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604. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure for the approval of language and other colleges catering for non-EEA students; the number and names of such colleges; the number of student places in each case and the systems in place to ensure that these are bona fide colleges. [32731/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Any public or private sector college wishing to recruit non-EEA national students must apply to have the relevant courses listed on the Internationalisation Register. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) has administered the Internationalisation Register on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Education and Skills. The Internationalisation Register is publicly available and may be viewed at . The Internationalisation Register is the register of education courses which comply with minimum standards relating to alignment, accreditation and, in the case of language courses, minimum learning hours for students. It is used by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) as a reference for considering visa and residency applications from non- EEA applicants wishing to study in Ireland on a full-time basis. The Department of Education and Skills and QQI have advisory roles in identifying appropriate criteria for the inclusion of programmes in the register as well as assessing whether academic courses that apply for admission to the register fit the minimum standards.

INIS administers the immigration regime for non-EEA national students attending education courses in Ireland. INIS performs this function to support the objectives of the Government for developing international education as outlined in the Minister for Education and Skill’s document Investing in Global Relationships: Ireland’s International Education Strategy. The function of INIS in relation to colleges that recruit non-EEA national students is to ensure that they comply with the immigration conditions outlined in Guidelines for Colleges offering courses to Full Time Non-EEA Students(available since August 2011 and published on the INIS webpage ). These immigration conditions include full compliance with inspections carried out by the relevant authorities i.e.Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) inspections, INIS inspections and inspections carried out by the relevant educational authorities.

I would advise the Deputy that the regulatory approach has, thus far, been one that has favoured competition and has minimised the barriers to entry. The assumption has been that providers are reputable unless demonstrated to be otherwise and no track record as an educator has been required. While this approach facilitates competition, it is a major contributory factor to the recent problems in the international education sector caused by the behaviour of some private sector colleges. My officials, and their counterparts in the Department of Education and Skills, have had concerns on the effectiveness of certain aspects of the current regime for some time. The introduction of the International Education Mark (IEM), as provided for in the Qualifications & Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012, was intended as the vehicle to address many of these issues. In advance of the introduction of the IEM the Government is considering additional proposals that will provide for a comprehensive amendment of the regulatory framework and, in conjunction with the IEM, will further enhance our quality agenda.