Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 May 2026
578. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which ongoing compliance of the English language sector will be monitored under Trust Ed Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33593/26]
View answer579. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which his Department will ensure that escrow accounts are being used by all education providers that are awarded the Trust Ed Ireland quality mark; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33594/26]
View answer580. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which his Department will receive complaints relating to breaches of Trust Ed Ireland by education providers, who will investigate these complaints; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33595/26]
View answer581. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if consideration is being given to establishing a Government led complaints mechanism for the English language sector as part of Trust Ed Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33596/26]
View answer582. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether he is satisfied that international students are, in practice, receiving refunds of course fees within expected timeframes under the ILEP following a visa refusal, in light of reported delays in such refunds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33597/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 578, 579, 580, 581 and 582 together.
I propose to take PQs 33593/26, 33594/26, 33595/26, 33596/26 and 33597/26 together.
English language providers can only recruit non-EEA students if their courses are on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), which is administered by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. To qualify, providers must have clear refund policies for visa refusals and a student complaints procedure.
Providers must hold advance fees in a separate client visa account regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland until a visa decision is made. If refused, fees (minus any stated charge) must be refunded within 20 working days. These requirements do not apply where payments are made through third-party agents, many of which operate outside of the State.
Following recent complaints about delayed refunds, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has written to providers to remind them of their obligations.
A new international education quality mark, TrustEd Ireland, is being introduced by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), an agency under the remit of my Department.
The TrustEd Ireland mark will be awarded to higher education and English language education providers who have demonstrated that they meet new national standards to ensure a quality experience for international learners.
The new TrustEd Ireland scheme establishes, for the first time, a formal statutory quality assurance process for the English language education sector in Ireland.
To obtain the mark, English language providers must undergo a due diligence assessment process which examines the capacity and capability of private education providers to deliver quality assured education programmes. English language providers must also participate in the new statutory Learner Protection Fund.
In addition, providers must also demonstrate compliance with an associated Code of Practice. The Code includes key criteria surrounding information provision, student welfare, and academic support provisions. English language providers are required to undergo a site inspection as part of their assessment of Code compliance.
All English language providers holding the mark are subject to a statutorily required formal review at least once every three years. Providers must also submit a monitoring report every 18 months. QQI may withdraw a provider’s authorisation to use the mark where it considers that the provider no longer complies with the Code.
An announcement of the first group of 28 higher education institutions to be awarded the TrustEd Ireland statutory quality mark was made on 4th February 2026. Assessment is ongoing of the first window of TrustEd applications from English language providers, which is expected to be completed in the coming months.
The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration will continue to monitor learner compliance with immigration law. Monitoring activities can include inspections of providers at any time, including monitoring attendance requirements. Further details on requirements are set out in the Policy Statement on the TrustEd Ireland Scheme and Immigration requirements at: Policy-Statement-TrustEd-Ireland-and-Immigration-Requirements.pdf.
