Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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328. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the main requirements for the establishment of English language schools; if there is a unit in his Department with responsibility for English language schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45929/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The majority of English language schools in Ireland are privately run.  These schools are typically registered for business purposes as private limited companies and do not come under the remit of my Department. 

The Deputy may be aware that a series of reforms to the student immigration system for international education have been implemented, in line with the Government decision of 19 May 2015.  As part of these reforms all English language schools wishing to recruit non-EEA students are required to be listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) – the list of education programmes considered to justify the granting of permission to non-EEA students to live and work in Ireland. 

A listing on the ILEP obliges English language providers to comply with certain requirements including declaration of ownership, teacher qualifications, attendance rates, compulsory exam registration policies and maximum class size.  English language providers are also required to have measures in place to protect students including compulsory learner protection arrangements and a separate account facility to safeguard student advance payments.  Further information on the ILEP requirements is available at the following link:

The ILEP was introduced in January 2016 and is administered by the Department of Justice and Equality in association with my Department.  The ILEP continues to be updated at regular intervals.

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.  The IEM will be managed by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), the national agency with responsibility for quality assurance and qualifications.  Only those providers who meet the robust quality assurance procedures of QQI will be allowed to carry the IEM. 

The necessary legislation to facilitate the introduction of the IEM is being progressed by my Department.  This legislation will also provide QQI with additional powers to examine the bona fides of providers, including English language providers.