Results 101-120 of 6,386 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: The provisional return for the number of new Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland funded postdoctoral researchers in 2024 is 325. Targets that had been set for 2024 reflected a conservative estimate of agency capacity considering the anticipated dissolution of the two previous agencies, and the establishment of the new agency in August 2024. Output targets for 2025 have been held...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gender Balance (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Research Ireland has awarded two Research Professorship grants to women to date, to the Tyndall National Institute in 2022, and UCD in 2024. This output is the subject of the reporting metric being referred to. However, it would not be accurate to say that this is the only agency funding that has been awarded to a woman research professor or senior academic through the agency. Previous agency...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My Department’s allocation to SOLAS’ operational budget has increased by nearly 13% in the period 2022 to 2025. These increases include provision for public sector pay deals. As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions on budget allocations will be made in the context of Government decision-making on the fiscal and expenditure framework for 2026, consistent with the budgetary and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My Department allocates funding to SOLAS from both the Exchequer and the National Training Fund to support the delivery of Further Education and Training (FET) programmes and services by the 16 Education and Training Boards and other FET providers across the country. My Department’s investment in core funding for FET services has increased by approximately 9% in the period 2023 to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Skillnet Ireland is a business support agency of the Government of Ireland funded by the National Training Fund. Using funding provided by my Department, it continues to invest in workforce activation programmes via its ‘Skills Connect’ programme which is designed to help businesses meet emerging talent needs, while helping workers to rapidly reskill and adapt to a changing job...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Springboard+, established in 2011 continues to play a vital role in expanding access to higher education by offering flexible, work focused learning opportunities to adult learners across the country. Aligned with national skills priorities, Springboard+ supports individuals to upskill or reskill in high-demand areas such as ICT, cybersecurity and sustainability. Springboard+ is free or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: I wish to advise that the six further education and training projects referred to by the Deputy are being progressing under my Department’s Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF). The projects are as follows:Donegal ETB: Stranorlar FET Centre, Co. Donegal,Galway Roscommon ETB: Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) HUB, Galway City,Kilkenny Carlow...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My officials are in the process of obtaining the requested information from SOLAS and will forward a response to the Deputy separately.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take questions 975 and 976 together. The Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 requires providers of further education and training (FET) seeking to offer programmes leading to awards validated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to prepare quality assurance procedures for approval by QQI. The Act provided for continuity of quality...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My Department provides funding from the National Training Fund (NTF) to support the Training Grants to Industry scheme, delivered through Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. The scheme enables businesses to respond to evolving workforce development needs through upskilling and reskilling initiatives. In 2025, €3.5 million from the NTF is allocated to Enterprise Ireland for management...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Funded by the National Training Fund (NTF) and managed by the Higher Education Authority on behalf of my Department, Springboard provides free or heavily subsidised upskilling and reskilling opportunities and builds the supply of skilled graduates to meet the evolving needs of the Irish economy. The 2025 allocation provides €27.55 million to improve the skills of those currently in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services 2025 and the allocations under my Department’s B4 subhead. The B4 subhead is used to fund current activities in higher education institutions. The provision of higher education funding on an annual basis, is part of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy of the Government. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Deputy, the variance from 2024 to 2025 you have outlined has arisen under the 2025 Estimates process. As part of the annual Estimates process, each expenditure line within my Department is critically evaluated, in collaboration with key stakeholders and colleagues in the Department of Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, to ensure appropriate and sufficient...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Deputy, the variance from 2024 to 2025 you have outlined has arisen under the 2025 Estimates process. As part of the annual Estimates process, each expenditure line within my Department is critically evaluated, in collaboration with key stakeholders and colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, to ensure appropriate and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: The most recent full-time student enrolment data from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) confirms a continued upward trend in participation in higher education. In 2023/2024, there were 202,450 full-time students enrolled (excluding National College of Ireland, newly included in HEA figures from this year), up from 198,970 in 2022/2023. When all modes of study are included, the figures for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: In the 2023/2024 academic year, there were 40,400 International Students enrolled in publicly funded Irish Higher Education Institutions. The proportion of this cohort in the overall student body is set out in tabular form below: As a Percentage of All Full Time Students 17.12% As a Percentage of Full Time Undergraduate Students 10.98% ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Springboard+, established in 2011 continues to play a vital role in expanding access to higher education by offering flexible, work focused learning opportunities to adult learners across the country. Aligned with national skills priorities, Springboard+ supports individuals to upskill or reskill in high-demand areas such as ICT, cybersecurity and sustainability. Springboard+ is free or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My Department does not collate data on the number of students studying English language courses in Ireland. English Education Ireland (EEI) is the largest association of English language schools in Ireland, representing 63 member schools. According to EEI’s Annual Report on English Language Training in Ireland 2024, 128,761 international students from 125 countries chose to study in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Deputy, the variance from 2024 to 2025 you have outlined has arisen under the 2025 Estimates process. As part of the annual Estimates process, each expenditure line within my Department is critically evaluated, in collaboration with key stakeholders and colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, to ensure appropriate and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My Department has not sought external public relations assistance at any time since its establishment. The information in respect of the state bodies within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the attached document should the Deputy wish to contact them directly with her query. Contact E-Mail...