Results 241-260 of 5,893 for speaker:James Lawless

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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scientific Research (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I would like to thank the Deputy for his continued interest in and advocacy for Ireland's application for Membership of CERN which I am delighted to report is now coming to fruition. I had a very successful visit to CERN in February when I met with the Director-General, Dr Fabiola Gianotti and other senior management. The Director-General shared her vision for the future of CERN,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I am sure that the Deputy will appreciate, as Minister, I have no role in the operational day-to-day running of Education and Training Boards (ETBs) as the scheduling and programming of courses is a matter for each individual ETB, subject to their available budget and local needs. My Department has significantly increased its investment in further education and training by nearly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (27 Mar 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. The Maynooth University Student Accommodation project is being funded as part of this Short-term Activation Programme....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: The number of students admitted to primary concurrent and consecutive programmes in State-funded Higher Education Institutions is determined by the Minister for Education, based on teacher supply and demand, and available resources. My Department fully supports workforce planning by the Department of Education to ensure a steady supply of teachers, including those for Irish-language...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Irish students who study in Northern Ireland, in EU member states and in Britain are entitled to certain supports provided by SUSI, subject to certain conditions which are set out in the Student Support Act, Student Grant Scheme & Student Support Regulations. Such students are eligible for maintenance grants for undergraduate programmes across the EU and in Northern Ireland and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: As part of the Student Accommodation Short-Term Activation Programme, the University of Galway (UG) received approval to progress a leasing project for approximately 242 additional beds over 15 years. An assessment was commenced by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) as part of the due diligence process, however during the assessment the proposal was withdrawn by the vendor. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: The Further Education and Training (FET) College of the Future Major Projects Fund was launched to address existing deficits in FET infrastructure, to support projects that drive reform of the FET sector and to facilitate consolidation and integration of further education and training. In September 2024 following an evaluation process, six proposals met the relevant criteria and were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: With the new Student Accommodation Strategy, which is in development, I am seeking to both increase the supply of student accommodation to benefit students and also free up private rental homes. To achieve this, the focus is on a combination of digs accommodation, an examination of vacant property, and the development and leasing of purpose-built student accommodation. I will also examine...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Under Budget 2025, additional funding was announced for Research Ireland in order to increase its PhD stipend level to €25,000, i.e. an increase of over 31% in two years. This announcement builds on the increases secured under preceding Budgets, demonstrating my Department’s consistent focus and progress on this issue. It has come into effect from 1 January 2025. In doing so,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Following the publication in 2015 of the Higher Education Authority's report on Student Accommodation: Demand & Supply, the first inter-departmental working group on student accommodation was established. This group supported the development of the first national student accommodation strategy 2017-2024 and monitored its implementation. The Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disability Services (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: This government is prioritising workforce planning needs across health and disability services. My officials and I are working closely with other Departments to support workforce planning responses by creating additional places in areas of acute skills need, ensuring a pipeline of qualified graduates for our health and social care workforce. I recently met with cabinet colleagues, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Craft apprenticeships are a vital route to qualification and employment for the construction sector, and strong employer demand has led to a 34% increase in craft apprenticeship registrations since 2019, increasing from 5,300 in 2019 to 7,100 in 2024. My Department continues to oversee the implementation of a priority plan put in place in November 2023 by the National Apprenticeship Office...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: A priority for my department remains the continued growth of the national apprenticeship system to meet Ireland’s skills needs now and into the future. Pipefitting is a craft apprenticeship programme that takes 4 years to complete, with off-the-job training phases delivered through Education Training Boards (ETBs) and Technological Universities (TUs). Munster Technological...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: As was announced in 2024, a Master of Pharmacy and a Veterinary Medicine degree in South East Technological University have been recommended for progression under the HEA Expression of Interest process. It is anticipated that these programmes will have their first intake in September 2026, with up to 40 students on each programme. Engagement with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and...