Results 21-40 of 6,887 for speaker:James Lawless

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Oideachas Tríú Leibhéal (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: I do not disagree at all. The Deputy mentioned University of Galway and a seminar that was there over the summer. It has some work under way with the Higher Education Authority and my Department on demand for Irish courses. The HEA is engaged in using the university as the lead on it to research the demand for Irish-language courses in third level institutions to inform the planning,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Research and Development (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 25 together Gabhaim buíochas le Teachta Daly. Deputy Timmins is on this question as well. The question refers to the collaboration between innovation hubs, industry and third level institutions. My Department has, I believe a strong economic focus; it should have and does have. I am committed to making sure this is an economic Ministry that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Research and Development (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: Yes.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Research and Development (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: I thank both Deputies. I will respond to Deputy Daly on the urology project. It is a project I am very keen to explore further and there are already a number of projects like that we are developing in the regions. The New Frontiers programme in Castlebar and Galway has a start-up ecosystem working with ATU, and perhaps the urology project could be done along the same lines. On the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Oideachas Tríú Leibhéal (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: Freagróidh mé an cheist i nGaeilge, ach ós rud é nach bhfuil mo chuid Gaeilge chomh láidir is atá Gaeilge an Teachta Connolly, freagróidh mé aon cheist bhreise i mBéarla. Is prionsabal bunúsach inár gcóras oideachais é go bhfuil leibhéal ard neamhspleáchais ag institiúidí ardoideachais. Ní...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Oideachas Tríú Leibhéal (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: Yes. The Welsh example is interesting. I attended the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly on Monday outside London in Surrey, and engaged with members of the Welsh Parliament and we discussed apprenticeships as Gaeilge and apprenticeships in the Welsh language. It was one of the topics we engaged on. The Deputy is right that the Welsh have made a success of it. Ach tuigim an fhadhb sa...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Costs (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. I welcome the opportunity to make a few remarks on this issue. I hope it is well understood, but I will restate it, that the starting point for this year's budget was that no provision was made for a continual reduction of student fees. There was a once-off measure in last year's budget, which did not carry over to the following year. It was once-off funding that was...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Costs (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: To summarise, grants have increased, thresholds have increased, student supports have increased and student fees have come permanently down. That is progress. This is the first budget of a term. I repeat that low-income families and households at risk of poverty should not be paying fees at all. While I absolutely understand that fees are an issue for the squeezed middle, those households...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Costs (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: For clarity, I am absolutely not talking about bringing in extra fees. Fees will only go down on my watch. To be crystal clear, fees will go in one direction, and that is down, as long as I am in office. However, it is important to discuss the academic work and the research that has been done. That is what the Deputy asked about in her question. She asked what assessments had been...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: I absolutely support the project and have made that very clear to the executive and all stakeholders. In terms of funding from my Department, we have a confirmed budget to purchase our part of the site. There is a masterplan for other things as well but certainly the funding is there for the educational piece. The business case is progressing. However, the decision on when to serve the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: The Deputy has good offices in Wexford town himself. He has agency, a relationship with the county manager and so forth. I do not know how usual it would be for a Minister to engage with a local authority to ask it to accelerate a CPO process. It is probably better that I continue to work on the educational piece and local representatives like Deputy Lawlor can engage with the council. I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: The strategy to which the Deputy refers is the National Student Accommodation Strategy 2017-2024, which was the first national strategy of its kind. The aims of that strategy were to meet rising student housing demand, ease pressure on the private rental market and, ultimately, increase the supply of purpose-built student accommodation, PBSA. Two key goals were set out, the first of which...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: On the short-term activation programme, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, did indeed reference it, as have I several times. We have 116 new beds delivered in Maynooth, which are now open at Teach Ui Buachalla or Buckley House. I approved funding of €67 million just last month and turned the sod at UCD for its new accommodation project, which will deliver 493 new beds. As I already...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: The overall figure of €100 million was indeed announced but individual projects required ministerial approval. I sanctioned UCD very recently and was glad to do so. DCU has a project that is currently under evaluation with the HEA. Trinity College also has a project that has undergone due diligence and is progressing through the system. There are some other projects which are at...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education and Training Provision (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: I will share some of the processes that are under way under the ETBI's direction. The new operational guidelines should encompass at least but not limited to the following objectives. They should simplify the grant management relationship between ETB and third-party providers. It is complex. One thing I have learned in this role is that particularly the further education landscape is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education and Training Provision (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: There is always a degree of autonomy within the educational landscape, be it further or higher education. The Minister of State did correspond with the Department and the relevant bodies in terms of pay scales and around community training centres and youth reach centres, but the Department is not the employer. There is a remove. There can be several stages in that remove. It is not...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: Is the Deputy subbing for Deputy Kenny?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: No, I know the difference between Wexford and Kilkenny very well and all too well from suffering at their hands for many years in Leinster finals.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: I am a strong supporter of this project as I think and hope the Deputy and other Wexford stakeholder know. I share ambition of the region and Wexford town, in particular, to develop a customised significant third level campus in Wexford town. The educational needs, level of educational attainment, industrial base and the demographics all support that strongly. I am very much on board with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (16 Oct 2025)

James Lawless: SETU, in terms of technological universities, has received significant support from my Department. Most recently both Waterford and Carlow were included in bundle two of the PPP projects delivering significant additional learning spaces and physical buildings. The Deputy and I want Wexford to benefit from the same. The next stage of the process is for the notice of entry to enter onto the...