Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2021
759. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement he has had with the English language school sector; the supports he has secured for the sector which has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and is in danger of collapse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17216/21]
View answerEnglish language education (ELE) in Ireland is a broad and diverse sector with the vast majority of activity undertaken by private sector providers. I am aware of the important contribution made by this sector and of the challenges that are being encountered given the substantial impact that the Covid-19 outbreak has had on students, teachers and providers.
As part of the response to the pandemic, my Department established a specific Working Group for this sector. This group is comprised of representatives of relevant Government Departments and sectoral representatives of staff, students and providers.
As part of this process, the representative bodies for English language education providers have engaged with the Working Group surrounding their proposals for supports to aid the recovery of this sector. In this forum, the providers have been advised of the measures introduced by Government, as part of the wider Covid-19 response, to support businesses at this time. These measures included the temporary wages subsidy scheme (TWSS) to facilitate employers to keep employees on the payroll during the initial period of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to retain this link for when business increases after the crisis. This temporary scheme was kept in place until the end of August 2020. Following the conclusion of the TWSS, it has been superseded by the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) which continues to provide payroll support to businesses. In addition to the subsidy that is being provided via the EWSS, this scheme also provides for a reduction in Employers PRSI.
Further to the above, the ELE provider representatives have been advised of the eligibility of businesses in this sector to apply, where appropriate, for further business supports made available by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment via Enterprise Ireland and through its network of Local Enterprise Offices. A full list of these supports and related information is available for providers here: https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports/.
My Department is continuing to engage with ELE provider representatives as this sector moves towards its full re-opening and continues on a path to recovery.
