166 Mr. McHugh asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of Irish students studying abroad; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5892/07]

The most recent figures available from Eurostat are for 2003/04. In that year, a total of 17,422 Irish students were studying abroad. Of that number, 16,266 were studying in higher education institutions in other EU Member States. The remaining 1,156 students were studying in Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Albania, the United States and Japan. Figures for Irish students studying in other countries are unavailable.

167 Mr. McHugh asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of Irish students studying abroad under the Erasmus programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5893/07]

The most recent figures available are for the academic year 2005/2006. In that year, 1567 Irish students studied abroad under the Erasmus programme.