Results 401-420 of 6,887 for speaker:James Lawless

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Okay. The SOLAS issues. My Department gave SOLAS an increase last year of €41 million across the board. Some ETBs are experiencing funding difficulties. One of the reasons for that is because apprentices took longer to exit phase 2 than they should have. There was a backlog in the system last year and the year before. This meant that ETBs underestimated the cost of having those...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. I think I agree with everything he said. There are a number of points. I have spoken about the eligibility limit a lot recently. The eligibility limit in this revision increases to €115,000 at the higher end. Every threshold in the system has increased by 15%. That brings more people than ever before into the SUSI system for different grants and supports. I...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. On the numbers for State-sponsored student accommodation, I think I mentioned earlier that there is €100 million allocated to the first phase, which is sort of an acceleration phase. There was a general call-out done on that and the three institutions that put their hands up and said they were ready to go with it were Maynooth, UCD and DCU. Maynooth moved quickly...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. That was very well said. On the point on making money, I stated when responding to parliamentary questions last night that the median wage of an apprentice two years out is €935 per week and that 90% of the apprentices stick with it. Sometimes we talk about the rates when apprentices enter the system but they do well when they come out the far side of it. They...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I will take the last question first. I thank the Deputy for his views, which were very helpful. Subhead B15, concerning miscellaneous grants and services, refers to what may not necessarily fit under existing subheads. With regard to healthcare expansion, for example, there is a sum of €2.8 million. There is a sum of €1.45 million in the additional and miscellaneous...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I thank Deputy McGettigan. I have not passed a budget yet. I am working with the budget from my predecessor and the Department as I found it when I came in. This is my first provision of Estimates that I am bringing before the committee. I will do my own budget in October where I will put my stamp on things in terms of the issues we are talking about today and our shared interests. I...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Does the Deputy know what it was last September?

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: No, it was €3,000 last September, €3,000 the September before that and €3,000-----

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: It was €3,000 last September. Allow me to explain. What happened was a cost-of-living intervention and subsequently there was either a rebate or the instalments that followed were discounted, so it is exactly the same as it was last year.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: It was €3,000 last year and €3,000 the year before.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The situation is as it has been for the past couple of summers. The budget takes place in October and has taken place in October for a long time. Any measures that go towards student supports, and there are several, which I will walk through in a moment, will be effective from October. Fees are usually paid in instalments. Any measures that apply to them will be applied from October onwards.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The situation this year is the same as it was last year.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I cannot answer that. I made that very clear and the Deputy will not get a new answer from me today that she has not received in the past six months.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The exact same as they did last year.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: They will pay whatever their college asks of them in the first instalment. I cannot advise them; that is a matter for colleges and students. All I can do is come in in October with the budgetary measures that can be applied from that point on.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach, leis na Teachtaí agus leis na Seanadóirí. Actually, I think it is only Teachtaí eile today, as this is the select committee. Gabhaim buíochas as an gcuireadh chun a bheith anseo inniu chun na Meastúcháin Athbhreithnithe 2025 don Roinn Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: No, that is great. I thank Deputy Kenny very much for his continued interest in and advocacy for the sector. Let us take the issues in the order the Deputy raised them and start with the apprenticeships' issue. I think there is a great story to tell around apprentices. One of the real success stories of recent years has been the broadening of that spectrum. We now have apprenticeship...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I have a target to grow the public sector apprenticeship programme. My Department is already involved in it. We have been making pretty good progress in this regard over the last two years. There is more that can be done and we have a target to continue to grow public sector participation. The Deputy is right about the local authorities, in that they have to be part of this as well. I...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I visited UCC recently and saw its tremendous work. I want to give full credit to John O'Halloran and his team. I visited the Tyndall National Institute as well, which is a leading-edge institute. People like Professor Séamus Davis are there. He is the leading quantum physicist of his generation, at the Nobel prize-winning-type level. This is where he is headed. This is happening...