Results 361-380 of 6,340 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: The disruptive impact of the Covid pandemic on students at Higher Education was immense and this impact resulted in positive and negative outcomes - one such positive was the overnight transition to remote teaching, learning and assessing. This necessity served to demonstrate the capacity of remote teaching to increase access to further and higher education for students in rural and isolated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: I am committed to the promotion of deep and meaningful North-South collaborations across the tertiary education system.The Deputy will be aware that opportunities for cross-border collaboration are available as part of the EU PEACEPLUS programme, specifically under Investment Area 2.3, which focusses on skills development. ETBs such as Cavan-Monaghan, Donegal and Mayo-Sligo-Leitrim are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: Supporting the participation and success of learners with disabilities is a critical national priority. Good progress is being made as part of the National Access Plan to increase new entrants to higher education institutions with a disability. The latest figures available to the Department show this figure has increased to 14.7% for the 2023/2024 academic year form 12.4% at the start of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: I am very much aware that the rising cost of living continues to impact students and their families. The Government, through successive budgets, has sought to reduce the cost of higher education including through improvements to the student grant scheme. For the first time ever, a new part-time fee grant scheme came into effect in September 2024 for specified undergraduate courses. This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am committed to reaching a solution for an appropriate Youthreach facility to be leased in Macroom. My Department issued permission to Cork ETB to enter negotiations with Bus Éireann, the prospective landlord at the end of March. A due diligence process must now be completed, which considers value for money, assessment of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: I am committed to breaking down cost barriers and to making further education and training (FET) more accessible than ever before. FET courses are free or heavily subsidised. My Department also provides direct financial supports to eligible learners. Learners in receipt of social welfare transfer to a FET training allowance when participating in certain courses. The rate depends on an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: I am acutely conscious of the financial challenges facing students and the need for the progressive implementation of measures to address costs as a barrier to education. I am committed to easing this burden for students and their families in a financially sustainable way. Almost all students have their tuition fees paid in full by the State through the Free Fees scheme; additionally,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas trí Ghaeilge (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: Tá ról rí-thábhachtach ag ár gcóras oideachais maidir le tacú le húsáid na Gaeilge agus í a chur chun cinn. Tá sé tábhachtach go dtabharfaí an deis do mhic léinn ar mian leo staidéar a dhéanamh trí Gaeilge san ardoideachas agus sa bhreisoideachas sin a dhéanamh. Chuige seo, tá oifigigh ó...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: The Rent-a-Room Scheme falls within the remit of the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, TD. The main users of the scheme are the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and my Department in terms of residential and student accommodation. While my Department would not have figures on the overall supply of digs accommodation, there are approximately 4,000 digs beds reported...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: Reply not received from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: In recent years, demand for craft apprenticeships has surged. Craft apprenticeship registrations increased by 34% over a five-year period, from 5,300 in 2019 to 7,100 in 2024. This increase, allied to physical closures of training venues as part of the pandemic response, led to a situation of insufficient capacity to meet growing demand. In November 2023, the National Apprenticeship...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Information (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: Reply not received from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: I have just announced that Galway and Roscommon ETBs (GRETB) proposal for a new FET College in Galway City has been successful in moving forward to the next stage of development - the Pre-tender, Project Design, Planning and Procurement Strategy stage. This is following an evaluation process which was undertaken in April of this year. GRETBs proposal involves providing a state of the art,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: Reply not received from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: The Department's Blended Working Policy allows staff members to make applications to work remotely for up to three days per week. However this is always subject to business needs and requirements. Applications from staff members to formalise their blended working arrangements are being accepted on an ongoing basis. To date, approximately 57% of staff have commenced the application...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: The table below sets out the information requested by the Deputy relating to the software in use in my department to which he refers. Provider Software Version Microsoft Windows 10 22H2 Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Microsoft Windows Server 2016 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: I can confirm that my Department has full access and use of the software referred to by the Deputy (version 25094.310.3616.953). The full product is deployed apart from Telephony, where a conventional telephone system is still being used instead.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: My department has previously been advised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) not to disclose details of its cyber security operations which could in any way compromise the Department’s information security posture.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: The table below sets out the information requested by the Deputy relating to the software in use in my department. Provider Software Version HCL Technologies Lotus Notes 12.0.2

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (22 May 2025)

James Lawless: My Department does not use any commercial internet service provider as its internet service is provided through the Government Networks central service which is delivered by the OGCIO (Office of the Government Chief Information Officer).