Education Schemes
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-12
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Pádraig O'Sullivan (FF), Cork North-Central

We know the value of the programme in terms of the student experience. People pick up linguistic skills and become more rounded students. It is proven academically that students who engage fare better in terms of their academic life and their job prospects afterwards. There is no denying how important the scheme is. I believe it was worth €14 million to the Irish economy in 2016 with 25,000 students coming here as well as their families who might visit them. In 2025 we received 44,500 students showing how it has grown exponentially. I ask the Minister to fight for every penny he can to increase that budget because there are concerns that proportionately, students in the scheme will not fare as well. I ask the Minister to emphasise that in his negotiations.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-12