Results 381-400 of 6,513 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (28 May 2025)

James Lawless: I would like to clarify that as part of Budget 2025 Cost of Living measures, for the 2024/2025 academic year, eligible post-graduate students benefited from a once off €1,000 increase to the Postgraduate Fee contribution rising from €4,000 to €5,000. Ahead of Budget 2026, I will publish an options paper, which will identify costs and potential impacts of various...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (28 May 2025)

James Lawless: With effect from September 2024, all student maintenance grants for eligible post-graduate students were fully restored for the first time since the financial crash. Eligible students also received a pro-rata increase effective from January 2024. The annual rates of maintenance grants payable and the income thresholds applied are now the same for undergraduate and postgraduate students. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (28 May 2025)

James Lawless: The Funding the Future framework published in May 2022, outlines the vision for how higher education will be funded and how this will support students, employers and wider society. The framework identified an amount of €307m as representing the quantum of increase in core funding required to deliver enhanced performance, strategic reforms and strengthened quality of outcomes. Over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Guardian Status (28 May 2025)

James Lawless: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme 2025, an applicant, who has a non-legal guardian in receipt of the Guardians payment from the Department of Social Protection, may have their application considered for the Special Rate Grant payment subject to meeting all other eligibility criteria. The special rate of maintenance grant is payable at adjacent (€3,230) and non-adjacent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (28 May 2025)

James Lawless: The Student Grant Scheme is targeted at those students who are most in need of financial assistance and the Special Rate of grant is a key tool in targeting student grant assistance at the cohort of students who are most in need. The qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant in the 2024/25 Student Grant Scheme was as follows: (i) The student must qualify for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (28 May 2025)

James Lawless: Under the Student Grant Scheme, ‘holiday earnings’ is income that a student has earned outside of term time in the previous tax year which can be deducted from the total income assessed, up to a maximum level. A student’s earning is taken into consideration over the year and is treated as income with the exception of earnings over holiday periods. Over the past few...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 May 2025)

James Lawless: I appreciate the points Deputy Aird made about graduate medicine and graduate entry. There are commitments in the programme for Government to examine the plight of mature entrants. It is important that we scale up the number of people in these professions. A new medical graduate-entry course will start in the University of Galway next year and a new pharmacy course will start this year. A...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (27 May 2025)

James Lawless: Global Citizens 2030 sets out Ireland’s ambitions to embed excellence in talent and innovation into Ireland’s global footprint and is the first international strategy to encompass the breadth of tertiary education, and the whole research and innovation ecosystem. It builds upon Ireland’s achievements over the past decade and is intended to confirm Ireland’s place...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (27 May 2025)

James Lawless: The 4th National Access Plan (NAP) 2022-2028 was launched in August 2022 the ambition of which is to support inclusion and diversity in higher education and to ensure that people have equity of access to higher education regardless of their socioeconomic background, ethnicity, disability or other circumstances. The Programme for Access To Higher Education (PATH) is the main funding stream...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

James Lawless: My Department is required to report on the extent of non-compliance with public procurement guidelines in its annual Appropriation Accounts. The reporting of framework-based procurement information does not fall under this requirement.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

James Lawless: Officials in my Department have been in contact with the Deputy’s office and as agreed will collate the required information and forward to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

James Lawless: Officials in my Department have been in contact with the Deputy’s office and as agreed will collate the required information and forward to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (27 May 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 812, 876 and 882 together. The Funding the Future framework published in May 2022, outlines the vision for how higher education will be funded and how this will support students, employers and wider society. The framework identified an amount of €307m as representing the quantum of increase in core funding required to deliver enhanced performance,...

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

James Lawless: I look forward to consulting with stakeholders this year as my Department reviews the delivery of the current Action Plan, and develops a new five-year strategy for the apprenticeship system from 2026. My priority is ensuring that the apprenticeship system is well equipped to continue to grow, to respond to the skills needs of industry, and to adapt to the challenges facing the workforce....

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

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 814 and 822 together. The Public Service Apprenticeship Plan, launched in August 2023, is a key commitment under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021–2025. This plan aims to boost apprenticeship opportunity and participation within the public sector, targeting 750 new registrations annually by 2025. Throughout 2024, my Department, in...

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

James Lawless: Reply not received from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reviews (27 May 2025)

James Lawless: Officials in my Department have begun the process of a Periodic Critical Review (PCR) of SOLAS. A Supplementary Request for Tender (SRFT) was published through the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) on the 27th March last, seeking expertise in carrying out organisational reviews of public bodies and the reporting of findings, along with any recommendations. My officials are still...

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

James Lawless: A key pillar in the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021 - 2025 is to ensure that apprenticeships are recognised and valued across all sectors, promoting them as a vital method for building upon existing and supporting emerging skills needs now and into the future. In Budget 2025, €77 million was allocated to apprenticeship, representing the single biggest increase in core funding...

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

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 820 and 821 together. Development of an implementation plan for an integrated apprenticeship system is at an advanced stage.€4 million was allocated in Budget 2025 to support this work. The Irish workforce is rapidly required to respond to the impact of modern methods of construction, digitisation, AI, and climate change. The plan to transition to...

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

James Lawless: Work is underway in the development of a spatial planning apprenticeship (NFQ level 8) which will be launched following the conclusion of a structured process overseen by the National Apprenticeship Office. The development of this apprenticeship in a key action in the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage's Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources and supports...