Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1307. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many stamp 2 visa holders are working nursing homes and as carers; the steps that are being taken to ensure that student workers with underlying health conditions or employment in healthcare settings are not forced into in-person classes by English language schools and by the conditions of their visa risking the health of the student and the wider community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41316/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Following the publication of COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery: The Path Ahead and in keeping with the Government’s objective of moving to a return to safe onsite provision in higher and further education, extensive planning has been undertaken by the sectoral stakeholders of the Covid-19 Working Group for the English language education (ELE) sector to prepare for the safe resumption of limited, small group, in-person provision to cater for the needs of this sector’s existing cohort of students.

Subject to the implementation of sector prepared reopening protocols and adherence to public health guidelines, in-person activity could begin to resume from 19th July 2021 where it is safe to do so. The resumption of this activity is exclusively to cater for the needs of the existing cohort of ELE students currently in the State. My Department understands that this is now a much reduced population that has been estimated at fewer than 10,000 students. There continues to be no basis for the recruitment of new international students that may seek to travel to the State at this time.

Under the arrangements set out in the notice published by my Department (link below), providers may opt to remain closed, to provide blended learning or to continue operating wholly online. Both prior to and during the pandemic to date, ELE students in Ireland with a Stamp 2 immigration permission are required to attend at least 85% of their classes for the duration of their programmes. For those students currently in the State, this can be achieved by attending in-person, online or both subject to the method of delivery of these classes. Providers have been informed that the resumption of in-person activity should be taken in consultation with their staff and students and have the flexibility to deliver their programmes to meet the needs of their student cohort. Under no circumstances should any student be required to attend in-person classes if it is not safe for them to do so and providers should have alternative arrangements in place.

The resumption of in-person activity is a key stepping stone on the pathway to recovery for the ELE sector in Ireland. The Department looks forward to continued productive engagement with stakeholders to support the development of further plans which will enable the return of international student recruitment and the full re-opening of the sector in due course.

Further information is available :

www.gov.ie/en/publication/3b8e5-notice-resumption-of-in-person-provision-for-the-english-language-education-sector/