Results 41-60 of 6,337 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 951 and 953 together. The information that the Deputy has requested is not readily available. My staff are currently collecting this information and I will get back to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Further Education and Training (FET) is primarily delivered or contracted by the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs), within national guidelines. This Department has significantly increased its investment in the FET sector, from circa €909 million in 2020 to €1,055 million in 2024. As the state agency responsible for the FET sector in Ireland, SOLAS allocates the vast...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My officials are in the process of obtaining the requested information from SOLAS and will forward a response to the Deputy separately.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: The additional funding allocated to Apprenticeship in Budget 2024 (€67m) and Budget 2025 (€77.4m) is allocated by way of grant funding via the National Training Fund to SOLAS and the HEA who fund apprenticeship programmes in education institutions. Following Budget 2025, current funding investment by my Department in apprenticeships is €339m. Some €170.1m (50%) of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: The Programme for Government agreed across all the Government parties is the blueprint for the commitments of this term of office. Under the heading of Building a Healthier Future, the Programme indicates that this Government will:Introduce a tuition fee support scheme for Graduate Entry Medicine.Provide more graduate entry medicine programmes focused on preparing student for careers in rural...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: As we continue to address the challenges facing the higher education sector, it is clear that access remains a central concern - not just access to places in our institutions, but access to the supports that make participation possible. One of the most significant challenges students face is the cost and availability of accommodation. My focus is on delivering targeted and effective...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Qualifications Recognition (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Ireland has longstanding and well-developed systems for the recognition of qualifications. These systems fall into two broad categories, professional and academic recognition, that can support persons pursuing employment opportunities, seeking to practise their professions of choice, or looking to avail of new educational opportunities. Professional Recognition. Where a profession is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Springboard+ offers support for part-time students on master’s courses. This is managed by the Higher Education Authority on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It offers free or heavily subsidised upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills need. Courses range from Level 6 to Level 9 on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: As the state agency responsible for the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, SOLAS allocates funding to 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and other agencies to deliver FET programmes, based on agreed targets including learner numbers. As part of City of Dublin ETB’s annual allocation, funding is provided to KLEAR Further Education Service for the delivery of adult...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Websites (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My department’s website is one of number of websites under the gov.ie umbrella. While content is uploaded by the Communications team in the department, the site is developed and maintained by a team based at the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. OGCIO does employ analytics tools and as such is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: The provisional return for the number of new Research Ireland funded PhD positions in 2024 is 489. In common with other targets set with Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland, expected 2024 and 2025 outputs reflect a conservative estimate of capacity considering the dissolution of the two previous agencies and the establishment of the new agency in August 2024. This sits alongside the need...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: The provisional return for the number of new Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland funded postdoctoral researchers in 2024 is 325. Targets that had been set for 2024 reflected a conservative estimate of agency capacity considering the anticipated dissolution of the two previous agencies, and the establishment of the new agency in August 2024. Output targets for 2025 have been held...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gender Balance (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Research Ireland has awarded two Research Professorship grants to women to date, to the Tyndall National Institute in 2022, and UCD in 2024. This output is the subject of the reporting metric being referred to. However, it would not be accurate to say that this is the only agency funding that has been awarded to a woman research professor or senior academic through the agency. Previous agency...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My Department’s allocation to SOLAS’ operational budget has increased by nearly 13% in the period 2022 to 2025. These increases include provision for public sector pay deals. As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions on budget allocations will be made in the context of Government decision-making on the fiscal and expenditure framework for 2026, consistent with the budgetary and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My Department allocates funding to SOLAS from both the Exchequer and the National Training Fund to support the delivery of Further Education and Training (FET) programmes and services by the 16 Education and Training Boards and other FET providers across the country. My Department’s investment in core funding for FET services has increased by approximately 9% in the period 2023 to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Skillnet Ireland is a business support agency of the Government of Ireland funded by the National Training Fund. Using funding provided by my Department, it continues to invest in workforce activation programmes via its ‘Skills Connect’ programme which is designed to help businesses meet emerging talent needs, while helping workers to rapidly reskill and adapt to a changing job...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: Springboard+, established in 2011 continues to play a vital role in expanding access to higher education by offering flexible, work focused learning opportunities to adult learners across the country. Aligned with national skills priorities, Springboard+ supports individuals to upskill or reskill in high-demand areas such as ICT, cybersecurity and sustainability. Springboard+ is free or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: I wish to advise that the six further education and training projects referred to by the Deputy are being progressing under my Department’s Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF). The projects are as follows:Donegal ETB: Stranorlar FET Centre, Co. Donegal,Galway Roscommon ETB: Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) HUB, Galway City,Kilkenny Carlow...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: My officials are in the process of obtaining the requested information from SOLAS and will forward a response to the Deputy separately.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (17 Jun 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take questions 975 and 976 together. The Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 requires providers of further education and training (FET) seeking to offer programmes leading to awards validated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to prepare quality assurance procedures for approval by QQI. The Act provided for continuity of quality...