Results 5,721-5,740 of 6,467 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: My officials have been in contact with the Deputy's parliamentary assistant seeking clarification and she will come back to us in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Universities, Technological Universities (TUs) and Institutes of Technology (IoTs) have the ability to establish or hold shares in companies under their relevant sectoral legislation. In the case of the Universities Act 1997 (as amended) and the Institutes of Technology Acts, 1992 – 2006 (as amended), Universities and IoT have the ability to establish subsidiaries without requiring...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Part V of the Disability Act 2005 requires public bodies to report on their compliance regarding the employment of persons with disabilities. My Department assumed responsibility for Part 5 reporting in 2021 and submits its reports to the National Disability Authority each year in respect of the returns for the public bodies under its aegis. In 2022 all public bodies under the aegis of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: One of the criteria in the student grant scheme relates to 'progression'. This means that a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another, where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. The objective of this policy is to help as many students as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Reply not received from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The provision of Higher Education funding on an annual basis is part of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy for Government. As such, indexing does not apply. In 2025 the planned recurrent grant allocation for the sector totals €1.667 billion. This is an increase of more than €541 million, or 48%, compared to the 2019 outturn in the year prior to the formation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early Childhood Care and Education (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Under the Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the State provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate students who are attending approved courses. In the 2023/24 academic year, there were over 143,000 students who benefited from the FFI. Currently FFI approved courses are restricted to full-time undergraduate courses in the public higher education system and a limited...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Deputy will be aware that Marino Institute of Education (MIE) is a private higher education institution. MIE is not in receipt of core funding from my Department. However, I understand that it receives some limited funding for approved teacher training activities from the Department of Education. MIE is an approved institution for SUSI grants purposes. It is also an approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Marino Institute of Education (MIE) is a private higher education institution. MIE is not in receipt of core funding from my Department. However, I understand that it receives some limited funding for approved teacher training activities from the Department of Education. As a private college the day to day operation of the organisation, including issues surrounding campus maintenance and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (1 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Programme for Government commits to reducing the student contribution in a financially sustainable manner, over the lifetime of this Government. As part of the cost-of-living packages in the last three budgets, the student contribution was reduced by €1,000 on a temporary basis, at a net cost of circa €99 million per annum. These measures were in response to particular cost...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (2 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: As was announced in 2024, a Veterinary Medicine degree in South East Technological University (SETU) has been recommended for progression under the HEA Expression of Interest process. It is anticipated that this programme will have its first intake in September 2026, with up to 40 students expected to enrol. Engagement with the Veterinary Council of Ireland is ongoing in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Tourism Industry (2 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: In line with the Programme for Governments commitment with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media to develop long term, sustainable, well paid careers in the tourism industry, officials in my Department have contacted SOLAS who advise that there were 268 Further and Education Courses in the area of tourism and hospitality nationally in 2024. Of these courses,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (2 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I have held no formal Ministerial Management Board meetings to date. However, since taking up office, I have held numerous briefing sessions and meetings with Management Board members on issues under their purview, on an almost weekly basis. I am also in constant communication with the Secretary General on the important work of the Department and on any issues as and when they arise. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (3 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Our higher education system plays an important role in supporting and promoting the use of the Irish language. The Higher Education Authority Act 2022 highlights the importance of the Irish language by placing a responsibility on the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to ensure that higher education institutions (HEIs) promote and use the language. My Department, through the HEA, also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (9 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283, 284 and 285 together. As Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science my sphere of responsibility extends only to publicly funded Further and Higher Educational Institutions and consequently I would advise the Deputy to seek a response regarding the other sectors to my respective Cabinet colleagues. I note and share...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Language Schools (9 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 290 together. I propose to take questions 17788/25 and 17789/25 together. The English language school referred to by the Deputy is a private institution and does not come under the remit of my Department. Issues arising from contracts between students and private English language schools are a matter for the parties involved. Education providers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development (9 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: There is a comprehensive and ambitious set of commitments for research and innovation in the new Programme for Government. This work will be progressed via a number of national policies and strategies, under the national research and innovation strategy Impact 2030. The formation of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland in August 2024 is designed to build a more effective and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (9 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Higher Education Authority's Student Records System is my Department's primary source of statistics related to the higher education sector. The HEA can only provide the count of course names that were provided by the higher education institutions for the academic year 2023/24 as part of the student data returns. It is possible that some course are double counted due to the course changing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (9 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Higher Education Authority's Student Record's system is my Departments primary source of statistics related to the higher education sector. The HEA can only provide the count of course names that were provided by the higher education institutions for the academic year 2023/24 as part of the student data returns. It is possible that some courses are double counted due to the course...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (9 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Currently, there are 77 national apprenticeship programmes available. Of these, 75 have a National Framework Qualification (NFQ) level between 6 and 10. That is to say, from Advanced Higher Certificate to Doctoral Degree. The remaining two programmes are in scaffolding and butchery, and are offered at NFQ level 5. The number and variety of apprenticeship programmes has increased since the...