Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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431. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has plans to intervene or offer supports to dozens of Brazilian students left in limbo following the sudden closure of an agency (details supplied) at the end of May 2025, which mediates between students and schools, colleges, and universities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33256/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Travel agencies, such as the one referred to by the Deputy, are privately owned and primarily operate in other jurisdictions. These agencies arrange study and travel options for prospective international higher education (HE) and English language education (ELE) students to many countries including Ireland. These agencies act as intermediaries between prospective students and predominantly private ELE and HE providers, who secure payments for courses and assist students with travel, accommodation, and visa requirements.

As this is principally a private sector activity and a matter of private contract between the parties involved, my Department does not have a role in these matters. There is presently no national regulation of such agencies as many entities of this type are based in other jurisdictions and operate outside of the State. If issues arise with such agencies, these should be reported to the appropriate authorities within the relevant jurisdiction, where there may be routes for those affected to pursue the matter.

It is vitally important for those students who choose to use an agent when travelling to Ireland to study, that they ensure that the agent is reputable and has a relationship in place with their prospective ELE provider.

Education providers in Ireland wishing to recruit non-EEA students are currently required to be listed on the ILEP (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). The ILEP is managed by the Department of Justice in conjunction with my Department.

A condition of an ILEP listing is a requirement for education providers to operate an 'escrow' type account with a bank or financial institution regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Providers are required to hold funds on behalf of prospective students pending the outcome of their application for a visa. Where the visa decision is positive the funds are transferred to the provider. If the visa application is refused the funds (less any pre-agreed charges) are refunded to the student.

The ILEP regulations concerning international payments holding service or a separate client visa account are not applicable in the case where a student engages the services of an agent and where advanced payment(s) are paid to that agent.

TrustEd Ireland - a new international education quality mark - is a key pillar of the Government’s policy for international education, as set out in Global Citizens 2030: Ireland’s International Talent and Innovation Strategy to 2030. The TrustEd Ireland mark will be awarded by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to higher education and English language education providers who have demonstrated that they meet national standards to ensure a quality experience for international learners. The new TrustEd Ireland scheme will establish, for the first time, a formal quality assurance process for the English language education sector in Ireland and will provide QQI with statutory powers to regulate this sector.

To obtain the TrustEd Ireland mark providers will have to demonstrate compliance with requirements on corporate fitness, quality assurance and the protection of enrolled learners, alongside key criteria and practices surrounding the recruitment and admission of international students, information provision, student welfare, cultural awareness and academic support provisions.

In addition, providers must also demonstrate compliance with an associated Code of Practice. The ELE Code of Practice includes provisions in relation to partnerships with recruitment agents, including adherence to the London Statement - an internationally recognised statement of principles for the ethical recruitment of international students by education agents and consultants. It is also expected that ELE providers perform due diligence, in the form of three reference checks, to verify the track record of prospective education agents, recruitment partners and consultants in relation to learner protection issues, prior to entering into a contractual agreement.

QQI opened the first application window for providers seeking to obtain the TrustEd Ireland mark on 14 October 2024. The assessments of these applications are currently taking place. It is expected that the first cohort of providers will be authorised to use the mark in late 2025. It is anticipated that the second TrustEd Ireland application window will also open in the latter part of this year.

When fully operational, and following a transitionary period, TrustEd Ireland will replace the ILEP for student immigration purposes. This means that providers wishing to recruit non-EU/EEA learners on programmes that require immigration permissions or study visas will be required to apply to QQI for authorisation to use the mark.

Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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432. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount raised in each of the past ten years via the annual student contribution (previously called the student services charge) at third level, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33271/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Free Fees Initiative, the State provides funding towards the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate higher education students exclusive of the student contribution.

The student contribution was introduced in the 2011/12 academic year. The student contribution replaced the student services charge levied by higher education institutions (HEIs), which were up to €1,500 in the 2010/11 academic year. The student contribution is currently set at €3,000 per annum.

Student contributions are collected by the higher education institutions (HEIs) and form part of their overall income each year. My Department does not collect information on the income generated by HEIs. Therefore, the information requested by the Deputy is not available.

HEIs publish their financial statements each year. These are available to view on the website of each HEI. Within these financial statements, HEIs provide details of their various income sources, including information regarding fee income.  However, HEIs do not distinguish between the various types of academic fee income generated. Such fee income can include the student contribution, post-graduate fee income, international fee income etc.

In terms of estimated costs, the Deputy may be aware that my Department published an Options Paper in 2024 where the potential costs of reducing the student contribution in a single academic year were set out. In the paper it was estimated that removal of the €3,000 student contribution may cost in the order of €288.9m. These were the estimated additional costs to the State after allowing for savings of circa €149m that would accrue on the SUSI scheme.

Based on the above figures, the estimated fee income generated by the student contribution is in the region of €438m per annum.

Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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433. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an estimate of the average annual cost per student of delivering one year of full-time university education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33272/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions responsible for their own academic affairs including the development of relevant curriculum and student numbers on individual courses.

I understand that costs of individual courses can vary depending on a variety of factors, including the type of course and the method of provision. Costs also vary by institution. HEIs work with various regulatory bodies (e.g. the Medical Council, CORU, the Teaching Council, etc.) who play a role in setting, promoting and enforcing high standards of professional education, training and competence in their relevant spheres. Meeting these professional standards can in turn impact of the cost of provision.

My Department does not maintain a schedule of costs that each autonomous HEI may incur. Therefore, an average annual cost per student of delivering one year of full-time university education is not available.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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434. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the funding under the Strategic Infrastructure Fund to build a new Youthreach facility on the site of the existing college site (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33311/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department announced the Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF) programme call, in February 2022, to support the upgrade of Further Education and Training (FET) infrastructure for Education and Training Boards (ETBs).  Its purpose is to provide for high-quality teaching and learning environments, aligned with the principles of the FET College of the Future.

A total of 19 projects were approved under this programme including a project for Cork Education and Training Board, Mallow Youthreach. The project proposes the delivery of a new facility on the site of the existing Mallow College of Further Education site, allowing for the consolidation of FET services onto one site and to provide fit for purpose premises for the Youthreach provision in the area.

I wish to advise the Deputy that the ETB's Design Team has completed the Stage 1 report for the project.  The report was reviewed by SOLAS and submitted to my Department earlier this month for consideration.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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435. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost per annum of the scheme to attract academics from the United States by co-funding their salaries which was announced in May 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33329/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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On 13 May, the Government agreed to my proposals to establish a Global Talent Initiative to bring international research talent to Ireland. My Department is working with Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland to design a call, which will be launched this summer.

The programme will have an initial budget of €8m per annum. It is anticipated that this figure will support up to 15 researchers per year. In addition to salary, there will be other significant costs associated with the programme that will also have to be factored in. These would include, for example, the wider research team that would be associated with a particular individual, research equipment, laboratory space, overheads such as administration, infrastructure, work related travel and other ancillary costs. There is potential scope for additional funding to be sought as the programme scales up.

The investment required to attract established researchers as well as rising stars will not only facilitate the projects they are investigating, it will also attract further high-calibre talent and add to the knowledge and skills base within the Irish higher education landscape, adding a significant multiplier effect.