Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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839. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when English language schools will be permitted to enrol international students; the reason English language schools are being treated differently to university English language programmes in respect of international enrolment and student visas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42353/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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On 29 April 2021, the Government made a commitment to a significant increase in on-site further education and training, higher education and research from the beginning of this academic year. Higher and further education and training, and research are considered to be essential activities and extensive planning has been undertaken to enable the academic term 2021/22 to take place mainly on-site for all students, learners, and staff. 

As part of this planning, the Department has worked closely with the higher education sector and student representative bodies to develop a protocol with key principles of assurance to ensure that the arrival of international higher education students for the coming academic year is managed safely and in line with public health requirements. This protocol includes all up-to-date public health measures and, in addition, details other arrangements such as familiarisation training for all these students in advance of their arrival. The protocol includes assurances from the Higher Education sector that students who arrive will be transported from the airport directly to suitable accommodation to allow them to adhere to the prevailing public health requirements regarding self-quarantine.

My Department has also been working closely with English language education (ELE) stakeholders over the course of the pandemic to date via the Covid-19 Working Group established for this sector. Following the publication of COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery: The Path Ahead last June, extensive planning was undertaken by sectoral stakeholders within this Working Group to enable the safe resumption of limited, small group, in-person provision to cater for the needs of this sector’s existing cohort of students i.e. those currently in the State. On the basis of these plans and subject to the conditions of the notice published by my Department (), limited, in-person activity could begin to resume within this sector from 19th July 2021 where it is safe to do so. This initial resumption of in-person activity is a key stepping stone on the pathway to recovery for the ELE sector in Ireland.

With the recent publication of COVID-19: Reframing the Challenge, Continuing Our Recovery and Reconnecting, which sets out Ireland’s plan for the next and final phase of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and which will see the broader reopening of Irish society, my Department is having further engagements with the ELE sector. An update will be provided to the sector shortly.