Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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304. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the new system for English language schools which cater for students outside the European Union has been put in place; if not, when it is expected to be activated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36801/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In line with the Government decision of 19 May 2015 a series of reforms to the student immigration system for international education have been implemented.

These reforms include the introduction of a restricted list of education programmes considered to justify the granting of permission to non-EEA students to live and work in Ireland (known as the Interim List of Eligible Programmes – the ILEP).

As part of this process all providers of English language training wishing to recruit non-EEA students are required to apply to the Department of Justice and Equality for inclusion on the ILEP. Further details are available at the following: .

The ILEP process is an interim measure until the introduction of the International Education Mark (IEM) for the provision of education to international learners, which will provide a full quality framework in the future.

Legislative amendments are necessary to facilitate the introduction of the IEM. These amendments are contained in the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Amendment) Bill. I published the General Scheme of this Bill on 15th May 2017, following approval by Government.

On 18th July 2017 the Joint Committee on Education and Skills determined that the Bill did not require pre-legislative scrutiny. The Bill has now been referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for the appointment of a legislative drafter.

It is anticipated that the Bill will be enacted in 2018, and this will enable the introduction of the IEM.