James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Chathaoirleach agus na Seanadóirí. It is good to be here with them today. I see the same familiar faces of the spokespersons I know in the area. It is good to engage with them all both formally today and informally as we all work together in the course of the term. I thank them for their interest in the topic. I am grateful for the chance to speak about the priorities that reflect our commitment to inclusion, affordability and excellence within the further and higher education system.

The story of my Department began five years ago when An Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, created it. It was in the Fianna Fáil manifesto coming up to the general election of that year. It is something I was proud to advocate for before I was ever a spokesperson or Minister for it. It was always envisaged as being a driver of access and education but also of the economy, enterprise and the centre of our economic development. As well as being an education Ministry, which it patently is, I also see it as an economic Ministry, leading Ireland's response to global disruption. We are all well aware of the disruption and the challenges, trade winds and everything else that are coming towards us hard and fast. We are leading the response to that disruption through talent, science, skills and education. I am working on delivering sustainable reforms that expand and maximise access and opportunity, enhance quality and support world-class research.

I will begin by talking us through budget 2026, where I have done my very best to match available resources to the best possible return for the sector and to maximise the opportunities available. Let me start with one of the most pressing issues for students and families, the cost of education. Despite ongoing monetary pressures, affecting various cost-of-living measures, etc., that were available in previous years but were not available this year, which made the job of Ministers across the board more challenging, I was still delighted to be able to take a major step forward by securing a ring-fenced fund of €53 million to permanently reduce the student contribution fee by €500, which brings real relief and certainty to over 108,000 students next year. That is in fact the first permanent reduction in 30 years. Of course, I am aware that some students received higher subventions last year and in the previous year, but they were temporary, uncosted and unsustainable one-off measures that were not there on a year-to-year basis. They were not part of the baseline. I have spoken to many students and their families who told me that caused understandable anxiety and uncertainty and gave rise to questions every summer about what would happen next year. I can tell them what is going to happen next year, namely, that those fees have been reduced by €500 for good. I may well bring fees down further as the overall budgetary picture allows me to, but they are going in one direction, which is down, and that is there to stay.

I am also looking at the student grant scheme. It is so important that as well as working on fees we also work on targeted measures to give the most help to those who need it most. In addition to strengthening the student grant scheme, the SUSI income threshold has been raised to €120,000, the highest level in the scheme's history, allowing thousands more families to qualify for support. To put it in context, Oireachtas Members, certainly if they are the single earner in a single-income household, would now qualify for SUSI supports. It is not unreasonable to say that is a high threshold, the highest it has ever been. Everyone at or below it will now see some form of support. Up to 30,000 students living further from home, more than 30 km from their place of study, will benefit from the non-adjacent grant categories and will receive additional maintenance grant support. I have increased maintenance grants across the four base levels - a special rate and the three non-adjacent bands. That means true inclusion and access.

I have also widened the pathways for students with disabilities. I increased the fund for students with disabilities by €3 million, comprising an additional €1 million in higher education and €2 million in further education. Through PATH 4, 195 students with intellectual disabilities are now enrolled across 11 higher education institutions, which is a milestone in building an inclusive system. The disabilities demonstration project, which was launched this year, is a pilot scheme to study, engage and consult in order to understand what is the best policy framework for flexible, appropriate, responsive supports for students with disabilities to help them transition into education, further and higher education and beyond that into employment. That is very much a reflection of our commitment to equity, inclusion and our obligations under the UN conventions and other human rights instruments. Those reforms build on a series of actions across the board, some of which I have outlined. We are also removing fees in further education to expand eligibility and increasing maintenance rates. Funds for disability are up. Mental health supports are up and fees are down. That is very much the direction of travel that I want to continue.

We are all well aware of the challenges of student accommodation in terms of affordable rents and supports for that and also viability in terms of challenging the sector to do more, provide more and incentivising investment in it. Accommodation remains one of the most significant challenges facing students. My Department is working on a student accommodation strategy, which I expect to conclude by the end of the year. It will increase supply, improve viability and address affordability while again giving the most help to those who need it the most and focusing support on a socioeconomic basis to give people in disadvantage additional help over and beyond what might be done on a universal basis.

A VAT reduction from 13.5% to 9% on the sale of apartments is included in the Finance Bill. I am engaging on an ongoing basis with the Minister for Finance to ensure that is maximised to incentivise the delivery of student accommodation. There are an additional 15,000 beds with planning permission in the system that have not yet progressed. This measure, among others, may be the incentive that is needed to kickstart that development.I mentioned already that I have also increased the maintenance grants for the first four base grant cohorts, the special rate and the non-adjacent band 1, 2 and 3 rates, for students living 30 km or more from their place of study. This benefits 30,000 students, who will get additional support of between €200 and €460 per student. This is to reflect the fact that students who are non-adjacent, 30 km or more away from their college, obviously have greater expenses in terms of travel and accommodation. These supports are to recognise this situation and give these students that little bit of additional support. The rent tax credit has also been extended to 2028. I hope this will also be of some assistance.

We are beginning to see some of the projects coming good. Maynooth University’s new 116 beds have now come on stream. I was delighted to be there myself recently to open Teach Uí Bhuachalla. I also turned the sod at University College Dublin, UCD, for an additional 493 new beds. Those units are now under construction. I was happy to sanction €67 million to go towards that project. We have also published the design guide to support the delivery of student accommodation, optimise construction and development and to come up with a standardised set of architectural blueprints so design providers, HEIs, developers and people in the sector are guided. These are reflected in section 28 guidelines to local authorities. This means a set of templates is available to those providing accommodation that optimises the number of beds while providing appropriate leisure and other support amenities. I continue to engage with the Minister for housing, Deputy James Browne, on the rent pressure zone, RPZ, review to ensure students are protected and afforded the maximum protection under the new rules that will come into effect next year.

Turning to pathways into education, I heard several people raise the issue of the Central Applications Office, CAO, system, the leaving certificate model and the points race. I met representatives of a number of student unions before the budget. I also meet them on an ongoing basis. I had a number of consultations with them to understand their challenges and requests. One of the issues that comes up is the CAO system. The issue crystallises around this aspect, but it is really about what happens with the leaving certificate examinations, the results and the points. It is about what the pathways into third level are and whether we should have wider access points and wider subject choices, with specialisation deferred until later in the system. There is a question of whether it should become more of a graduate school option and if we should have more graduate entry into some courses, as we have already, and if we should widen this approach. Things like tertiary degrees are also very innovative. I am initiating work around this reform, the entry points and how this process works. I think this will be beneficial, as will the consultation as it goes on.

I am focusing heavily on research and innovation. I am working on a new research infrastructure fund that will support research and innovation in our universities, across our HEIs and in collaboration with industry, using best practice on a global stage to harness the innovation and talent we have strongly in this country. The apprenticeship system has the highest budget ever this year. An additional €79 million was allocated in budget 2026, bringing the total up to €410 million, which is double what the funding was only five years ago. Registrations continue to increase for apprentices. It is an outstanding path to follow for young people so inclined.

I have much more to say, but I will leave it there for now. I look forward to listening to comments from colleagues.