Results 121-140 of 5,782 for speaker:James Lawless

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: It would be unhelpful for me to comment on the particular facility in terms of the details of it because I am not informed on it. It would be unfair to the project. However, I take the Deputy's point that phase 2 will now follow and will undoubtedly provide important services. I think her suggestion is that it would be better to do the whole thing at once, if I understand her correctly....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Reform (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: The Cassells report was published a number of years ago and that was superseded by the Funding the Future framework. That was published in May 2022 and outlines the vision for how higher education will be funded and how this will support students, employees and wider society. The framework identified a figure of €307 million as representing the quantum of increase in core funding...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Reform (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: On the Deputy's comment about the two other Ministers since; there have been three Ministers in the past five years since this Department was created. The Tánaiste served for four of those years, the then Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, served for six months and I have been here for two months. Give us a chance and let us see where we are. I will certainly make my best efforts, as the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Reform (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: The Deputy mentioned more funding does not necessarily lead to greater outcomes. That is why it is all the more important it is delivered in a strategic way and, as I said in my first response, the Funding the Future framework does have that at its core - to align funding with enhanced performance and strategic reforms and quality of outcomes. I agree with the Deputy and that is why we are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Reform (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: There was a pay agreement entered into between Government and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions last year and in the Revised Estimates, an amount of €24.9 million was provided in the base for the higher education sector in anticipation of that pay deal being agreed. That is a slightly separate track. I appreciate there are competing priorities, as always. That highlights the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy for his kinds words to me and to the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. We both look forward to serving this Department as a team and bettering the sector. In terms of the Deputy's question, I am very interested in this area myself. I have made inquiries on it since I assumed the post. As the Deputy is probably aware, the HEA ran an expression of interest process in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Deputy Boyd Barrett asked about the temporary reduction. It was a temporary reduction; that is the point. It is important that we put it on a more sustainable, long-lived, permanent track, and that is part of the consultation I intend to hold with students, student bodies, stakeholders and universities to understand what would be a more holistic, sustainable formula to meet the cost of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputies. Deputy Boyd Barrett should note that I am of course concerned about students dropping out. One or five is too many, never mind 5,000. I would like to understand the reasons. Some analysis would be helpful and I will look into this. I understand that meeting the cost of college has never been easy. I also understand that if the supports, which are abundant in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy for her question. At the outset, I want to challenge the characterisation of "unfit for purpose". That is a strong phrase and is not one that was reflected in the parliamentary question as tabled. I do not believe that is true or fair to the system. There have been backlogs. Those backlogs are being worked through, for sure. For context, there has been a strong...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: Let us consider the result of the measures I spoke about, the additional €67 million, the subsequent €77 million, the additional 110 instructors and the 80 instructors converted onto different types of contracts bringing an additional 190 instructors into the system. This has meant that craft training places have increased by 43%. That brought places from 5,600 at the end of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy. A review is ongoing across the whole sector. There are many different types of apprenticeships now. There are the craft apprenticeships, which are related to construction skills, there are climate skills and apprenticeships for accounting technician and digital marketing - and my Department has a number of staff working in that apprenticeship - so it is very much a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I believe there is another question.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I do not mind taking them separately either. I am in the hands of the Acting Chair.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I appreciate that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 5 together. The programme for Government does indeed commit to reducing the student contribution in a financially sustainable manner over the lifetime of the Government. As part of the cost-of-living packages over the last three budgets the student contribution was reduced by €1,000 per annum on a temporary basis at a net cost of circa...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scientific Research (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I would like to thank the Deputy for his continued interest in and advocacy for Ireland's application for Membership of CERN which I am delighted to report is now coming to fruition. I had a very successful visit to CERN in February when I met with the Director-General, Dr Fabiola Gianotti and other senior management. The Director-General shared her vision for the future of CERN,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: I am sure that the Deputy will appreciate, as Minister, I have no role in the operational day-to-day running of Education and Training Boards (ETBs) as the scheduling and programming of courses is a matter for each individual ETB, subject to their available budget and local needs. My Department has significantly increased its investment in further education and training by nearly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: As a short-term measure to address the challenges faced by students in accessing accommodation, the Government approved funding for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to activate projects with planning permission that had stalled due to cost and viability challenges. The Maynooth University Student Accommodation project is being funded as part of this Short-term Activation Programme....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (27 Mar 2025)

James Lawless: The number of students admitted to primary concurrent and consecutive programmes in State-funded Higher Education Institutions is determined by the Minister for Education, based on teacher supply and demand, and available resources. My Department fully supports workforce planning by the Department of Education to ensure a steady supply of teachers, including those for Irish-language...

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

James Lawless: Irish students who study in Northern Ireland, in EU member states and in Britain are entitled to certain supports provided by SUSI, subject to certain conditions which are set out in the Student Support Act, Student Grant Scheme & Student Support Regulations. Such students are eligible for maintenance grants for undergraduate programmes across the EU and in Northern Ireland and...