Results 5,561-5,580 of 6,467 for speaker:James Lawless

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (26 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank both Deputies for raising this very important issue. I am glad to have the opportunity to address the House on the matter. I am aware of the media reports being referred to by the Deputies. I am extremely concerned about the issue itself and about the wider issue it spotlights, that of women’s safety on university campuses. This is a matter of critical importance. As I...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (26 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank Deputy Farrell for acknowledging the work that is ongoing. This is a cross-party issue; I do not believe it is a political issue at all. I appreciate her approach to this and I share and reciprocate that. There are several plans in place, which we have spoken about. Some of those are due to expire in the next year or two but they are typically incremental and we continue to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Used to be a serious party.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy for her question. At the outset, I want to challenge the characterisation of "unfit for purpose". That is a strong phrase and is not one that was reflected in the parliamentary question as tabled. I do not believe that is true or fair to the system. There have been backlogs. Those backlogs are being worked through, for sure. For context, there has been a strong...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Let us consider the result of the measures I spoke about, the additional €67 million, the subsequent €77 million, the additional 110 instructors and the 80 instructors converted onto different types of contracts bringing an additional 190 instructors into the system. This has meant that craft training places have increased by 43%. That brought places from 5,600 at the end of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. A review is ongoing across the whole sector. There are many different types of apprenticeships now. There are the craft apprenticeships, which are related to construction skills, there are climate skills and apprenticeships for accounting technician and digital marketing - and my Department has a number of staff working in that apprenticeship - so it is very much a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I believe there is another question.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I do not mind taking them separately either. I am in the hands of the Acting Chair.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I appreciate that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 5 together. The programme for Government does indeed commit to reducing the student contribution in a financially sustainable manner over the lifetime of the Government. As part of the cost-of-living packages over the last three budgets the student contribution was reduced by €1,000 per annum on a temporary basis at a net cost of circa...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Deputy Boyd Barrett asked about the temporary reduction. It was a temporary reduction; that is the point. It is important that we put it on a more sustainable, long-lived, permanent track, and that is part of the consultation I intend to hold with students, student bodies, stakeholders and universities to understand what would be a more holistic, sustainable formula to meet the cost of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputies. Deputy Boyd Barrett should note that I am of course concerned about students dropping out. One or five is too many, never mind 5,000. I would like to understand the reasons. Some analysis would be helpful and I will look into this. I understand that meeting the cost of college has never been easy. I also understand that if the supports, which are abundant in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Reform (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: The Cassells report was published a number of years ago and that was superseded by the Funding the Future framework. That was published in May 2022 and outlines the vision for how higher education will be funded and how this will support students, employees and wider society. The framework identified a figure of €307 million as representing the quantum of increase in core funding...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Reform (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: On the Deputy's comment about the two other Ministers since; there have been three Ministers in the past five years since this Department was created. The Tánaiste served for four of those years, the then Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, served for six months and I have been here for two months. Give us a chance and let us see where we are. I will certainly make my best efforts, as the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Reform (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: The Deputy mentioned more funding does not necessarily lead to greater outcomes. That is why it is all the more important it is delivered in a strategic way and, as I said in my first response, the Funding the Future framework does have that at its core - to align funding with enhanced performance and strategic reforms and quality of outcomes. I agree with the Deputy and that is why we are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Reform (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: There was a pay agreement entered into between Government and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions last year and in the Revised Estimates, an amount of €24.9 million was provided in the base for the higher education sector in anticipation of that pay deal being agreed. That is a slightly separate track. I appreciate there are competing priorities, as always. That highlights the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy for his kinds words to me and to the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. We both look forward to serving this Department as a team and bettering the sector. In terms of the Deputy's question, I am very interested in this area myself. I have made inquiries on it since I assumed the post. As the Deputy is probably aware, the HEA ran an expression of interest process in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I completely agree with the Deputy. My constituency is in neither catchment but is an agricultural constituency. It is an equine constituency. County Kildare is the home of the horses. I know many people who are interested in these courses and who tell me about the ongoing demand, the need for placements and the need for vets, including large animal vets. Small practice is its own area,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I am aware of the Deputy's interest, and indeed the interest of the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, in all items on the west coast, and this development no less. I know the Deputy is well aware that Galway and Roscommon ETB is being supported by SOLAS in developing its preliminary business case proposal under the FET college of the future major projects fund. The proposal put forward...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: For the record, as regards Galway and Roscommon ETB, I think €1.03 million in funding just in the current year is already earmarked, even aside from this project. I am aware, however, that there was a request for the square footage to be reduced. I think there was an application for 25,000 sq. m. The college was invited to submit a revised business case. There was a meeting with...