Results 1-20 of 5,871 for speaker:James Lawless

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 May 2025)

James Lawless: There are 25 Craft Apprenticeship programmes offered across four families – Construction, Electrical, Engineering and Motor. A craft apprenticeship lasts for a minimum of four years, during which time apprentices spend three different periods in off-the-job training. The first off-the-job training phase, which is Phase 2 of 7 training phases in a Craft Apprenticeship, takes place...

Seanad: Higher Education: Motion (7 May 2025)

James Lawless: The Senator's last lines are good advice for anybody.

Seanad: Higher Education: Motion (7 May 2025)

James Lawless: I was just taking stock and this has been a good debate. I thank the Senators who brought forward the motion, and all who contributed. I am delighted to see the topic is getting air time in this House and the other House, because it is of such fundamental importance to our economy, our society and everything we do and have done as a nation. I am delighted this opportunity for all to have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (1 May 2025)

James Lawless: I would like to thank the Deputy for raising the issue of Irish Sign Language (ISL) education in Further and Higher Education institutions. The following courses are currently offered by Higher Education Institutions:Munster Technological University offers a Special Purpose Award (SPA) Certificate in ISL — a year-long, part-time course at Level 6 on the National Framework of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (1 May 2025)

James Lawless: My Department has had considerable engagement with the National College of Ireland in the past, particularly in relation to capital funding requests for the expansion of the college's northeast inner-city Dublin campus. The National College of Ireland is a private, not for profit, and independent institution. Its day-to-day operations, including matters related to administration and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (30 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy for this question. My Department recognises and appreciates the work and commitment of adult educators and Youthreach resource persons. I would like to clarify that the new grade of adult educator will not replace the established grade of Youthreach resource person or affect their current terms and conditions set out in Circular 12/2003. The pay scale for the new adult...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (30 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 270 together. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students who are dependent on parents/legal guardian, mature dependent students, or independent students. If a student has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course, and is not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (30 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I outline below the percentage of the capital budget allocation for my Department that was spent in the first four months for each year requested. 2023 2024 2025 19.3% 18.9% 22.4%

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Ensuring a pipeline of qualified graduates to meet the mental health needs of adults and children is a priority for this Government. There are three main disciplines of Psychology; Clinical, Counselling and Educational, all of which require a level 10 PhD to meet professional standards to practice. Five Universities in Ireland provide Clinical Psychology programmes at level 10 with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: Impact 2030 is Ireland's National Research and Innovation Strategy. The first Impact 2030 Progress Report was published in July 2023. The intention of the Impact 2030 Progress Report is to assess the extent to which the multiannual work programmes are being delivered, thereby providing ongoing insight into how Ireland's research-funding Departments and Agencies are working together to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: When the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 was commenced, sixteen higher education institutions were automatically designated. These higher education institutions are the seven traditional universities, the technological universities, the institutes of technology, the National College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The Higher Education Authority Act...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Apprenticeship Programmes (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this important matter. I acknowledge the Deputy's continued advocacy for his constituency of Kerry and his interest in this topic. He has raised this issue with me via parliamentary questions as well as elsewhere. I am aware of the issue the Deputy has raised. It is an important and frustrating issue. It has been raised with me in a number of different...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Apprenticeship Programmes (29 Apr 2025)

James Lawless: I thank the Deputy for his advocacy. I appreciate that there can be short notice - I understand it is typically seven days from a letter of offer to a response. If an apprentice is not in a position to take up the offer that time, it is given to the next person on the list. There are two competing goals. One is to keep the system moving and keep apprentices on the waiting list moving...

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

James Lawless: I understand that the Leaving Certificate can be a stressful time for students and their families. This includes the decisions for students in determining their pathways into work or continued education through the Further Education and Training or Higher Education systems. My Department has been working tirelessly with the higher education and further education sectors to provide...

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

James Lawless: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has received a number of proposals from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including a proposal for increased provision on the MTU Kerry campus, under the Apprenticeship Expansion Programme. All proposals are being considered in the context of each HEIs overall capital development plan and sectoral investment...

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

James Lawless: The Central Applications Office (CAO) is a not-for-profit company created by the Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It processes applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on behalf of HEIs. I am unable to provide you with the information requested as neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO, and queries on applications are a matter...

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

James Lawless: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Under the scheme students may be eligible for a grant towards the costs of the student contribution...

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

James Lawless: Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006, and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such they are autonomous in relation to their administrative and academic affairs, and the courses offered by any institution, and whether they are offered on a part-time basis, are a matter for the...

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

James Lawless: Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period including income from a student’s employment. For the 2024/25 academic year, student grant applications are assessed based on gross income from all sources for the reference period, 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. To answer the...

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

James Lawless: My Department does not readily hold this information. However, the Deputy may be aware that the Department of Education publishes the Education Indicators for Ireland reports which are available on the Education statistics pages on gov.ie and these reports provide the transition rate from both DEIS and non-DEIS schools to further education and training and higher education. The most recent...