Results 1-20 of 7,021 for speaker:James Lawless

Science Week: Statements (13 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: I am delighted to be here to open this debate to mark Science Week 2025. As Minister for science - in fact, I have a long title and science is a key part of it - it is so important we mark this event and occasion. The Irish physicist John Tyndall once observed, “Knowledge once gained casts a light beyond its own immediate boundaries.” Ireland’s future lies in its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Advertising (6 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: Ireland needs people with construction skills and experience to help deliver on ambitious targets for new housing and infrastructure. The National Development Plan outlines a record €275.4 billion in public capital investment, aiming to secure Ireland's future, to transform the country, unlock housing, upgrade water and energy infrastructure, deliver more roads, and provide better...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (6 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: By way of background for the Deputy, Youthreach provides a two-year education and training pathway for young people who have left mainstream education with limited qualifications. The programme supports learners in gaining the skills, knowledge, and confidence to progress to further education, training, or employment. Certification is typically achieved at Levels 3 and 4 on the National...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (6 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: Irish universities are independent and autonomous statutory bodies established under the Universities Act, 1997, which while guaranteeing the principle of academic freedom, also requires detailed institutional level governance arrangements for the management, operation, policies and strategy of the relevant institution to be in place. The issue raised by the Deputy is therefore a matter...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: By way of background for the Deputy, Further Education and Training (FET) is delivered by 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) across the country. There are two ETBs in Dublin - City of Dublin ETB and Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB (DDLETB). City of Dublin ETB is divided in four areas - Northeast Campus, Central Campus, Southwest Campus, and Northwest Campus. While the ETB boundaries do...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (5 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: The student referred to by the Deputy received a letter from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) on 27 May 2025 confirming an initial award of the full Non-adjacent rate of Maintenance grant, together with 100% Student Contribution/100% Tuition Fees, in respect of year two of the three-year Level 7 undergraduate course. However, upon contacting the student's college to verify...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (5 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: I am very much aware that cost of living challenges continue to impact students and their families, including those in the middle-income bracket who may fall just outside eligibility for grant assistance. The Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), provides grant assistance to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: My Department recognises the critical importance of promoting and expanding the teaching and use of Irish at third level. The Higher Education Authority Act (2022) places a statutory obligation on the HEA to support higher education institutions (HEIs) to teach, promote, and use the Irish language. To that end, my Department supports HEIs, via the HEA, through both core funding and specific...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: My Department recognises the critical importance of promoting and expanding the teaching and use of Irish at third level. The Higher Education Act (2022) places an obligation on the HEA to support HEIs to teach, promote and use the language. To that end, my Department supports higher education institutions, via the HEA, through the provision of core funding, and specific funding to support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2092 and 2095 to 2097, inclusive, together. By way of background for the Deputy, Youthreach provides a two-year education and training pathway for young people who have left mainstream education with limited qualifications. The programme supports learners in gaining the skills, knowledge, and confidence to progress to further education, training, or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2093, 2094, 2100, 2117, 2133 and 2150 together. By way of background for the Deputy, Youthreach provides a two-year education and training pathway for young people who have left mainstream education with limited qualifications. The programme supports learners in gaining the skills, knowledge, and confidence to progress to further education, training, or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. Article 22 of the Student Grant Scheme 2025 sets out for the awarding authority the determination of reckonable income. Reckonable income shall be determined by the awarding authority on the basis of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: My officials are collating the information requested and will revert to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: I am very aware of the need to train more professionals in key health and social care disciplines, particularly in areas like speech and language therapy and other therapies that support our health and disability services. Earlier this year, at the request of my Department, the HEA ran an Expression of Interest process to identify opportunities to expand student numbers across nine...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: My Department works to provide diverse and flexible education pathways that help people reach their full potential, while meeting the needs of employers and society. Encouraging lifelong learning across all tertiary educational pathways, including vocational training, apprenticeships, and university courses is a key enabler of this. A recent review by the OECD for Ireland found that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2103 and 2104 together. A key goal set out in the Apprenticeship Action Plan 2021-2025 is to achieve a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations annually. In order to help achieve this key measure of the success of the Action Plan, government has, since 2020, more than doubled investment in apprenticeship delivery. With the new investment of €79...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2106 and 2108 together. Since 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, the total apprentice population has grown from 17,829 to 29,772 as of the end of 2024. This has been matched by an increase in investment from €142m in 2019 to the over €410m earmarked for apprenticeship in 2026. There has been growth both in terms of new programmes and expansion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: The Government remains strongly committed to apprenticeships, and has significantly expanded opportunities for learners in recent years. This reflects a recognition of their critical role in equipping Ireland’s workforce with the skills needed to meet national priorities - particularly in infrastructure delivery. The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 sets a headline target...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Science Foundation Ireland (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland has no associations with the research group identified. There is no reference to this group ever receiving funding within Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland’s Grants and Awards Management System, which also contains grants management data transferred from the previous funding agency prior to the establishment of the new agency in 2024. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (4 Nov 2025)

James Lawless: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2114 and 2115 together. During off-the-job training, apprentices receive a training allowance aligned with their current training phase. To support retention and progression, if there is a significant delay in accessing training due to limited availability of apprenticeship places, apprentices are paid the allowance for the next higher phase. Apprentices are...