Results 81-100 of 6,558 for speaker:James Lawless

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: It was €3,000 last September. Allow me to explain. What happened was a cost-of-living intervention and subsequently there was either a rebate or the instalments that followed were discounted, so it is exactly the same as it was last year.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: It was €3,000 last year and €3,000 the year before.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The situation is as it has been for the past couple of summers. The budget takes place in October and has taken place in October for a long time. Any measures that go towards student supports, and there are several, which I will walk through in a moment, will be effective from October. Fees are usually paid in instalments. Any measures that apply to them will be applied from October onwards.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The situation this year is the same as it was last year.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I cannot answer that. I made that very clear and the Deputy will not get a new answer from me today that she has not received in the past six months.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The exact same as they did last year.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: They will pay whatever their college asks of them in the first instalment. I cannot advise them; that is a matter for colleges and students. All I can do is come in in October with the budgetary measures that can be applied from that point on.

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach, leis na Teachtaí agus leis na Seanadóirí. Actually, I think it is only Teachtaí eile today, as this is the select committee. Gabhaim buíochas as an gcuireadh chun a bheith anseo inniu chun na Meastúcháin Athbhreithnithe 2025 don Roinn Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: No, that is great. I thank Deputy Kenny very much for his continued interest in and advocacy for the sector. Let us take the issues in the order the Deputy raised them and start with the apprenticeships' issue. I think there is a great story to tell around apprentices. One of the real success stories of recent years has been the broadening of that spectrum. We now have apprenticeship...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I have a target to grow the public sector apprenticeship programme. My Department is already involved in it. We have been making pretty good progress in this regard over the last two years. There is more that can be done and we have a target to continue to grow public sector participation. The Deputy is right about the local authorities, in that they have to be part of this as well. I...

Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (9 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I visited UCC recently and saw its tremendous work. I want to give full credit to John O'Halloran and his team. I visited the Tyndall National Institute as well, which is a leading-edge institute. People like Professor Séamus Davis are there. He is the leading quantum physicist of his generation, at the Nobel prize-winning-type level. This is where he is headed. This is happening...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: The question is a good one as to where it goes next. Before I answer that I will talk about the steps my previous answers were stepping through. We need to bring in legislation because the National Training Fund Act does not envisage the type of uses I have just outlined. I think they are important. I met with IBEC and other employer representatives on it. There is a general shared...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: 11 o’clock I think the Deputy has got to the heart of the recent debate; he has actually nailed it. It is so important that with whatever intervention we make around fees, grants or supports, we understand what the policy objective is. Is it to broaden the net? Is it to give something to everybody? Is it to give most to those who need it most? Is it to bring into the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: For the benefit of the House, let me recap on some of the measures kicking in this year. I will investigate with regard to the cohort mentioned. It is worth saying that the special rate of maintenance threshold increased this year from €26,200 to €27,400. All grant thresholds increased by 15%, meaning the highest threshold is now €115,000. I signed a statutory...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Education and Training Boards (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. We have had a few variations of this discussion over the evening. That is to be expected because there were impacts in different areas in different ways. There has actually been no funding cut to the apprenticeship system in 2025. In fact, investment through the Revised Estimates has increased by €41 million by comparison with the figure for last year. Instead...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Education and Training Boards (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I do not have to hand a figure for LMETB per se. The overall system has received €41 million more this year than last year. What SOLAS allocates to each ETB is a matter for it. It is devolved from my Department and my control. If LMETB has a figure above or below what was expected, it is between it and SOLAS. The overall budget envelope for which responsibility has been devolved...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Education and Training Boards (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: My immediate focus is on fixing the problem but I hear what the Deputy is saying. The immediate response is to address the funding gap to ensure no courses are detrimentally impacted to the extent that they would not progress into next year. I have written to the chair of SOLAS to instruct that no apprenticeship classes be cancelled. Once this is resolved – I am confident it will be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. There is a simple answer, but since the Deputy probably wants some details, I will tell him a bit more. I am very passionate and excited about the opportunity we have provided through the National Training Fund. There is a surplus in the fund of almost €1.5 billion and that has been accumulated through employer contributions over several years. The issue today...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. I welcome this question. It is an opportunity to talk about the impact the SUSI grant can have. There has been continued investment and improvement with it but there is still more we can do. If we look at certain measures within the schemes and bands, there is an opportunity to go further there. Significant improvements have been made over the last number of years....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Jul 2025)

James Lawless: In fairness, the Deputy was one of the first to raise this matter in the House a few weeks ago. He and Deputy Cullinane raised it in Topical Issues a couple of weeks back. As he is aware from that engagement, my Department and I were informed that, following engagements between SOLAS and ETBs on budgets, a funding pressure was identified for the 2025 apprenticeship budget. As I said a few...