Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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118. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of each accreditation and co-ordination of English language services and schools (details supplied) capacity which is left empty in order to assure they have enough capacity to honour ACELS/MEI’s learner protection scheme should the need arise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24926/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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ACELS (the Accreditation and Coordination of English Language Services) is a voluntary national scheme responsible for the development and management of the recognition and inspection of English language schools.  ACELS is operated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).  My Department does not maintain figures of the occupancy rates within privately operated English language schools.

As part of the regulations governing the operation of ACELS, all schools with ACELS recognition must have learner protection schemes in place.  These schemes are underpinned by Statutory Declarations given by the providers.

Marketing English in Ireland (MEI) is a long established private association of English language schools.  It is a condition of membership of MEI that a school holds ACELS recognition.

MEI's learner protection scheme requires its members to provide a guarantee that students enrolled in its schools will be able to complete the course for which they have enrolled, or a similar course, at another member school in the locality.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his Department’s role in the regulation of an association (details supplied) in particular the leaner protection scheme of the association; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24927/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Marketing English in Ireland (MEI) is a private association of English language schools and is not subject to regulation by my Department.

ACELS (the Accreditation and Coordination of English Language Services) is a voluntary national scheme responsible for the recognition and inspection of English language providers.  It is administered by Quality and Qualifications Ireland.  ACELS recognised providers are required to have protection for enrolled learner policies in place.  ACELS recognition is a requirement for membership of MEI.

In addition, all English language providers which are listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes - the list of education programmes considered to justify the granting of permission to students to live and work in Ireland - are required to have mandatory protection for enrolled learner policies in place.  The ILEP is administered by the Department of Justice and Equality in association with my Department.