Results 621-640 of 6,386 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I understand that the Leaving Certificate can be a stressful time for students and their families. This includes the decisions for students in determining their pathways into work or continued education through the Further Education and Training or Higher Education systems. My Department has been working tirelessly with the higher education and further education sectors to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Post Leaving Certificate Courses (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1052 and 1053 together. My officials are liaising with SOLAS to prepare a response for the Deputy and I will follow up separately with the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I understand that the Leaving Certificate can be a stressful time for students and their families. This includes the decisions for students in determining their pathways into work or continued education through the Further Education and Training or Higher Education systems. My Department has been working tirelessly with the higher education and further education sectors to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Deputy refers to a " voluntary licensee register", however no such register exists for Student Accommodation. My staff have been in contact with the Deputy to clarify the request and are awaiting her response.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Deputy refers to a " voluntary licensee register", however no such register exists for Student Accommodation. My staff have been in contact with the Deputy to clarify the request and are awaiting her response.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Under the Free Fees Initiative the State provides funding towards the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate Higher Education students exclusive of the student contribution. The State pays the student contribution (in full or part) on behalf of students who qualify under the student grant scheme. The student contribution was introduced in the 2011/12 academic year. The student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Projects (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Further and Higher Education Sector capital projects costs would be a matter for the respective education institution as the direct management of the vast majority of capital projects (with the exception of the PPP programmes) lie with the institutions delivering those projects. Many of the projects are co-funded by this Department, other Government Departments and Agencies and the institutes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: As far as possible, apprentices are scheduled to the nearest available training location relative to their home location on the day of scheduling. However, as apprenticeship is a national programme not all programmes can be made available in every location. Apprentices are informed at registration that this may necessitate the requirement to travel to other counties. All craft programmes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Please see attached table outlining the current 2025 budgetary allocations (across both the Vote 45 and National Training Fund) to each of the higher education and research bodies as requested. Allocations were agreed as part of the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services 2025 which was published in December 2024. Please note that the detailed budgetary allocations requested by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: There are 28 vacancies for Higher Executive Officer and above in my Department as on the 31st March 2025. Once a role becomes vacant, or a new post is created, the Department aims to fill the post as soon as possible using one of the available recruitment methods. Of the posts listed below, it is anticipated that approximately 70% of these will be filled by the end of 2025 subject to panel...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I understand that the Leaving Certificate can be a stressful time for students and their families. This includes the decisions for students in determining their pathways into work or continued education through the Further Education and Training or Higher Education systems. My Department has been working tirelessly with the higher education and further education sectors to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: My department's Public Service Apprenticeship Plan was launched in August 2023 and is a key commitment under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025. It seeks to grow the uptake of apprenticeship across the public service. Through 2024, my department and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR) engaged with public service sectors to identify their skills...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Staff (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The below table outlines the job titles and salaries of all Ministerial staff and Department private secretaries who are currently employed in my Department. Job Title Applicable Pay Scale Special Advisor to the Minister Principal Officer Special Advisor to the Minister Principal Officer Special Advisor to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: When the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 was commenced, sixteen higher education institutions were automatically designated. These higher education institutions are the seven traditional universities, the technological universities, the institutes of technology, the National College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The Higher Education Authority Act 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Higher Education Authority Act 2022 commenced with sixteen higher education institutions automatically designated (the seven traditional universities, the technological universities, the institutes of technology, the National College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland). The Higher Education Authority Act 2022 also provides for a designation by order process...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The National Training Fund (NTF) was established by the National Training Fund Act, 2000, as a dedicated fund to support training of those in employment, and those seeking employment. Section 7 of the Act provides for the NTF to be used to fund schemes, which are established to:raise the skills of those in employment,provide training to those who wish to acquire skills to take up employment,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Craft apprentices are employees and are paid directly by their employer during the “on-the-job” phases of their apprenticeship. Craft apprentice gross wage norms differ for different sectors, are set through collective bargaining, and may be underpinned by sectoral employment orders. When craft apprentices attend “off-the-job” training in Education and Training...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Services Staff (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1069 and 1070 together. The graduate data requested by the deputy for the years 2020-2023 is in the attached table. The data is from the Student Records System database of the Higher Education Authority. Student numbers are rounded to the nearest five for data protection purposes. The graduate data for 2024 is not yet available from the HEA. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I can provide the Deputy with the number of students that have been awarded a grant under the Student Grant Scheme for the requested years. These are students that are attending an approved full-time course in an approved higher education institution. The figures exclude PLC and oversees colleges. Award 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (8 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: As a short-term measure to address the challenges faced by students in accessing accommodation, the Government approved funding for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to activate projects with planning permission that had stalled due to cost and viability challenges. Under this measure a percentage of the new beds will be ringfenced for target group students at below market rates. The...