Results 41-60 of 5,871 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: My Department places the learner at the heart of it's statement of strategy, and in this regard there are many wide ranging supports available throughout their journey in further and higher education. The National Access Plan (NAP), sets out the ambition for an inclusive, diverse higher education sector. Specific targets to increase new entrants with a disability from 12.4% in 2022 to 16%...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Programme for Government contains a number of commitments to enable Technological Universities to borrow funds, primarily for student accommodation purposes. It is my intention to progress these Programme for Government commitments over the lifetime of this Government. Decisions regarding the capacity of technological universities to borrow will be considered in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: My Department has disbursed just over €222m in capital funding to the Technological University Sector since 2020 under a number of capital programmes including the Higher Education Strategic and Infrastructural Fund (HESIF), the Infrastructure and Refurbishment Fund (IURF), the Energy Efficiency Decarbonisation Pathway Programme (EEDPP), the Devolved Capital Grant, the Apprenticeship...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Each of the five Technological Universities were formed from twelve individual Institutes of Technology through a complex transformation process that is ongoing, supported by the HEA and my Department. The Higher Education Authority (HEA), as an agency of my Department, provides extensive sets of data and statistics on their website and I would direct the Deputy to that source as a first...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The original third level PPP programme, announced in 2008, included three projects at the South East Technological University (SETU) campus at Waterford: the Engineering and Science building, the Architecture building and the Business and Enterprise building. The projects involved had been suspended due to affordability issues in 2010. The current Higher Education PPP Programme, which was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: My Department has entered into recharge arrangements with respect to emergency funding provided to both Munster Technological University (MTU) and South East Technological University (SETU). Waterford IT, now part of SETU, received funding of €12.1m in 2014 to assist with the purchase of student accommodation and the completion of a sports arena. The current agreement with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2525 and 2526 together. I propose to take these questions together: The five Technological Universities were established under the Technological Universities Act 2018, amalgamating the existing Institutes of Technology into new, multi-campus universities. With the establishment of South East Technological University (SETU) in 2022, the establishment phase...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Technological University Dublin's (TU Dublin) financial statements for the most recent academic year 2023/24 are yet to be received by the Department. These financial statements are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) each year, prior to being laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. TU Dublin's audited financial statements for the 2022/2023 academic year ending...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: My officials are continuing to engage with colleagues in the Department of Education and State Exams Commission on this matter. I am supportive of my Cabinet colleague Minister McEntee and her officials as they commence the phased and gradual return to normal Leaving Certificate outcomes that will begin in 2025. It is widely recognised that it is appropriate to return over time to normal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2529, 2530 and 2572 together. The Higher Education Authority publishes data annually on the proportion of students who don’t progress from first to second year of higher education. The latest figures published by the HEA are in relation to students who commenced in the 2022/23 academic year and look at progression rates to the 2023/24 academic year....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Services (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2531 and 2532 together. My Department does not hold the information requested by the Deputy. As autonomous bodies the internal disbursement of funding, including the funding and expansion of student services and mental health supports, is a matter for the individual institution. As part of its broader sectoral objective of supporting students on their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: SOLAS continue to support all ETBs including Kerry ETB through the FET College of the Future process. I understand SOLAS have engaged directly with Kerry ETB on their proposal and facilitated workshops with representatives from each ETB, my department and SOLAS to support the development of proposals under this programme call. At present, Kerry ETB are being supported by SOLAS in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 (www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2021/act/49/enacted/en/print) was signed into law by the President of Ireland on 22 December 2021. State bodies are required to make all forms, documents, and reports available in both English and Irish under the Official Languages Act. This new legislation is a strengthening of the Official Languages Act 2003 and it...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: As the Deputy may be aware, it is my intention to publish an Annual Options Paper outlining measures to help reduce the cost of education for students and families across Further and Higher Education, Research and Apprenticeships. The paper will also provide an overview of ongoing work in relation to Student Accommodation. This paper will set out various options for further enhancement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: It would not be appropriate to estimate the costs involved given the hypothetical nature of the question. The Student Assistance Fund (SAF) provides financial assistance to students experiencing financial difficulties while attending higher education. Students can be assisted towards costs such as rent, childcare, transport and costs associated with the provision of books/class materials....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Apprentices are not charged a fee to take up an apprenticeship programme. A student contribution is paid by all students, including apprentices, when attending Higher Education Institutions. A once-off reduction of 33% of this contribution as a part of a cost-of-living package for students was announced in Budgets 2023 and 2024, costing €3.8 million in both years and estimated to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The cost of abolishing the student contribution varies from year to year, depending on the number of eligible students attending higher education. My Department published an Options Paper in 2024 where the cost of abolishing the student contribution was estimated to be in the region of €289m per annum. This equates almost €1.5 billion over one term of Government. This is the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: It is my intention to publish an Annual Options Paper outlining measures to help reduce the cost of education for students and families across Further and Higher Education, Research and Apprenticeships. The paper will also provide an overview of ongoing work in relation to Student Accommodation. This paper will set out various options for further enhancement of student supports for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Living Wage (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: The data needed to make the estimates requested by the Deputy are not held by my Department nor the agencies under its remit. Work placements are organised at the level of each individual Higher Education Institution (HEI), as part of their programme offerings to be delivered in conjunction with relevant placement providers. The type and duration of work placement required varies by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: It is my intention to publish an Annual Options Paper outlining measures to help reduce the cost of education for students and families across Further and Higher Education, Research and Apprenticeships. The paper will also provide an overview of ongoing work in relation to Student Accommodation. This paper will set out various options for further enhancement of postgraduate student...