Results 21-40 of 6,558 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Adult education and adult education tutors play an important role in empowering individuals, broadening access to learning, and in strengthening communities. After many years of work through the established IR mechanisms by my Department with the Department of Education and Youth, the Department of Public Expenditure, Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), and SIPTU and TUI, the new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: While I have not had the opportunity to visit the Baldoyle Training Centre since my appointment as Minister, I am pleased to share that I have visited a number of Education and Training Boards (ETBs) across the country in recent months. In March, I had the pleasure of officially opening the state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence (AMTCE) at Louth and Meath...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I have not visited this campus since my appointment but I have accepted an invitation for the North West Digital Futures Conference 2025 in ATU, Letterkenny Campus on 23 October 2025.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Students (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The Higher Education Authority estimates that there were around 240 students from South Africa enrolled in Ireland's publicly funded higher education institutions, making it the second largest source of international students from the continent of Africa. Numbers have grown strongly in recent years, with current numbers now at about 60% higher than pre-Covid levels. Education in Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Adult education and adult education tutors play an important role in empowering individuals, broadening access to learning, and in strengthening communities. After many years of work through the established IR mechanisms by my Department with the Department of Education and Youth, the Department of Public Expenditure, Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), and SIPTU and TUI, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: My Department has substantially increased its investment in SOLAS, with current funding in 2025 representing a €310 million uplift compared to 2020. This amounts to a 37% increase. In 2025, my Department allocated €1.152 billion to SOLAS, excluding capital, to deliver national priorities in apprenticeships, upskilling and reskilling initiatives, and literacy supports, in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1022 and 1030 together. The Department has reviewed the matter raised regarding the cancellation of the Masters component of the Postgraduate Certificate/ Masters programme in Sustainability in Enterprise which the student had planned to complete. These are joint programmes delivered between UCC, Maynooth University (MU), and Atlantic Technological...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in question are autonomous bodies within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997. As autonomous bodies with academic and administrative freedom, each institution is responsible for its own policies and programme development. It is a matter for each individual HEI to determine the intended outcomes for its programmes including if they are to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reviews (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) Scheme is managed and operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) on behalf of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) who are autonomous bodies. Admissions under the scheme are regulated by the HEIs themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the schemes, the number of places they reserve and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006, and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such they are autonomous in relation to their administrative and academic affairs, and the courses offered by any institution, the number of places offered on a course, and the level at which they...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Adult education and adult education tutors play an important role in empowering individuals, broadening access to learning, and in strengthening communities. After many years of work through the established IR mechanisms by my Department with the Department of Education and Youth, the Department of Public Expenditure, Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), and SIPTU and TUI, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: PQRef: 39329/25 The Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in question are autonomous bodies within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997. As autonomous bodies with academic and administrative freedom, each institution is responsible for its own policies and programme development. It is a matter for each individual HEI to determine the intended outcomes for its programmes including if...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: In April 2019 the Government published 'Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive: Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions', which is the Framework for Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in HEIs. The Framework has 15 outcomes which fall under four thematic areas: Institutional Culture, Institutional Processes, Institutional Policies and Targeted...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is a pathway for degree holders who want to pursue a medical career on an accelerated four-year programme. Students pursuing GEM programmes do so as second degree courses and consequently are not eligible for free fees funding. They are also not eligible for funding under the Student Grant Scheme as they do not meet the progression criteria of the Scheme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: By way of background information for the Deputy, the TUI submitted a claim to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) seeking a standardised calendar year for Youthreach Centres run by Education and Training Boards (ETBs). My officials agreed an approach to consider the proposal with the TUI. As part of this, my officials have been working with the National Youthreach Co-ordinator,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Minimum wage legislation, which falls under the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, does not apply to the remuneration of a person who is an apprentice within the meaning of or under the Industrial Training Act, 1967, or the Labour Services Act, 1987. Neither SOLAS nor my department is involved in the setting of wages for apprentices. Apprentices are employees and party...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: In March 2024, SIPTU and TUI accepted a proposal made by my Department, the Department of Education and Youth (DEY), and the Department of Public Expenditure (DPER), to formally establish a new grade of adult educator with a pay scale aligned with the Youthreach Resource Person scale. This followed many years of work by my Department, DEY, DPER, Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI),...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1035 and 1036 together. The Test Event Notification and Results Capture System (TENRCS) was originally designed by FÁS to facilitate the recording and aggregation of test results, as well as storing summarised results in the Results Capture Certification Request system (RCCRS) for the purpose of submitting the information to certifying bodies. At...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Programme for Government (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Supporting the participation and success of learners with disabilities is a critical national priority. Officials from my Department are currently taking the next step on establishing a working group of key stakeholders to identify how the Department could work with and link to existing transition processes and to ensure that students and parents are provided with the information they need...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Programme for Government (15 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: My Department has responsibility for further and higher education as well as research and innovation. The referenced commitment is part of the Government’s overall commitment to strengthening Ireland’s place in and contribution to the European Union. My Department is supporting and promoting three important initiatives which build links and understanding throughout the...