Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 July 2016
198. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Skills the annual spend on research and development in respect of English language education here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23786/16]
View answer199. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Skills the annual expenditure with regard to the marketing of English language education here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23787/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 199 together.
As part of Ireland's International Education Strategy 2010 - 2015, Fáilte Ireland has been responsible for the promotion of the English language training (ELT) sector. Fáilte Ireland has promoted the English language sector as part of their overall tourism promotional efforts. Therefore it is not possible to proportion what monies were spent directly on English Language promotion. My Department has provided €70,000 per year to Fáilte Ireland over the course of the 2010 - 2015 strategy to provide for English Language training scholarships for teachers in our core markets.
A group comprising of representatives from Fáilte Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland, industry groups and my Department is currently involved in developing a shared growth strategy to maximise the economic growth of the ELT sector.
This group aims to create an overarching vision and five-year strategy for the ELT sector. Research was conducted as part of developing the ELT strategy and pointed to a need for a clear and coordinated approach by all stakeholders in the ELT sector, with clear connectivity to the Higher Education sector, in order to be able to market Ireland as a destination for international students. It was identified that there is an opportunity to view the ELT product as part of the broader international education package that Ireland has to offer.
To address these issues, as part of the Government's new International Education Strategy (2016-2020), which is due to be published by my Department shortly, we will work towards ensuring that Ireland's education offerings, including the ELT sector, are promoted in a more cohesive way.
