James Lawless
Kildare North · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I am always open to feedback. The academics and authors of that report are entitled to their views, as are others. I just do not share all of their conclusions. As the Deputy said, the consultant spending was before my time. A lot of it was before the Department even existed.”
“More broadly, and this is something I think there is great potential to do more on, we are also promoting modern methods of construction, MMC, so we can embrace 2D or 3D models where they are either partially assembled off site and then brought to the location or almost fully assembled and the finished kit is brought into place.”
“In the energy space, that includes a commitment of €10 billion to enhance the grid capacity, because we need to be able to transit the energy as well as generate it, the workforce and the talent to do that - everything from retrofitting to green energy technicians and renewable energy engineers.”
“The capital funding envelop available to me is the mechanism through which I fund these projects, which is significant with €4.55 billion allocated across my Department for capital projects. SETU is the relevant institute in the south east, and it has multiple campuses, including a presence in the Xcelerate Centre at St.”
“I will recap on some of the measures I have introduced already because it is important to put them on the record again. In the previous budget, I was pleased to introduce the first ever permeant fee cut for students since free fees were introduced almost 30 years ago with a €500 permanent reduction.”
“Exactly. That is why we have a record €4.5 billion commitment across the sector. Regarding student facilities, there is the likes of the bundle 2 PPP programme which enhances student facilities on university campuses across the country.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,142 lines we hold for James Lawless, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 23.
“There are two ways we go about that. One is through viability and the other is through supply. Specifically on the Deputy's question and focusing on the service charges and whether they are used as a way around rental restrictions in terms of the law, there are two points. The legislation governing that is the law on rent pressure zones, which is outside of my Department. This jurisdiction is within the preserve of the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, and his Department. I would say strongly that student accommodation falls under the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. The board offers a dispute resolution service and it has the authority to investigate breaches of rental law, any improper conduct, any unlawful rent increases and any misbehaviour by landlords, including student landlords.”
“It is a priority of mine to make higher education more accessible, as I have been saying in reply to earlier questions. Part of this is the cost of accommodation, the cost of putting a roof over everyone's head, and making sure that the students are ideally as close to their college as possible. I firmly believe that the student experience and the college experience necessitates, and is enhanced by, being proximate to the college and having the opportunity to not only be in college for classes, but to attend extracurricular activities and to form new friendships and new networks. Notwithstanding that hybrid lectures and online study can be useful and can be of assistance in certain ways, there is no substitute for the real life in-person interaction. Student accommodation, therefore, is so important for many reasons.”
“I also welcome any collaborative input from spokespersons on education in the House as to the opportunity cost because it would never be possible, even if we had plenty of time, to do everything. Choices will have to be made. I would welcome a debate and formal discussion. The intention of that paper is to put the choices out there with the costings of this but not that, for example, and to take an in the round view on what is the optimal approach.”
“I assure the Deputy and the House that I will make the case in the budget negotiations to secure the maximum possible package for my Department for the benefit of students, apprentices, researchers and all the people within and for all the good reasons the Deputy articulates. I expect the cost of college paper to be available in June or early summer, and certainly it will be with us before the summer break. It has been commissioned at the moment. It derives from the cost of college event, which we held with students and other stakeholders, and it will also draw upon information meetings with a number of groups, such as AMLÉ who I will meet in the morning, and many other groups I meet on an ongoing basis. When the paper is published, I will inform the relevant spokespeople.”
“This year, for the first time, I commissioned, through the new economics policy under my Department, an impact assessment that tells us what the benefit of each measure will be on particular cohorts and how it will be of assistance and progressive in reducing the cost of education. I assure the Deputy that I am committed to continuing the work of the programme for Government in full, including the fee reductions.”
“The Deputy makes the point well. I will not comment on collective Cabinet decisions, but I hear what the Deputy said. It is very fair. For my part, I attend to pursue a multitude of options to further support students. These include making progress on fees but also a number of other options in areas such as maintenance grants, funding for students with disabilities, mental health supports, the student assistance fund, accommodation support through the non-adjacent grants and so forth. As I mentioned to Deputy McGettigan a few moments ago, we will be publishing a paper that sets out the different options available to us, along with the costings of each one.”
“Up to 70% of households are now eligible for the full student contribution fee to be paid, half of it to be paid or, for those at the top level with a household income of up to €120,000, a €500 subvention. A family with a household income of, say, €118,000 that is availing of the flat fee of €2,500 is eligible for the €500 fee grant, meaning they effectively pay €2,000. For a family with an income of, say, €60,000, half of the fees are paid for. Below that, families get their fees paid in full. There are a number of interventions aimed at different sectors in a targeted fashion.”
“In the current budget, I was pleased to introduce the first permanent reduction to the student contribution charge in approximately 30 years. It is a €500 reduction. That flat-rate reduction has reduced the top rate from €3,000 to €2,500. That is in effect from the current academic year, and we backdated it to make it available to students already in the system. That is the first permanent cut. It has benefited 108,000 undergraduate students and 14,000 apprentices. It is only right that apprentices also benefit from a 17% pro rata reduction in the fees they pay. The State provides grants that cover all or part of the student contribution for eligible learners on a SUSI grant.”
“I thank the Deputy for his ongoing interest in this matter and all matters pertaining to higher education. As he knows, the programme for Government addresses the cost of college in a balanced way. It does so deliberately by combining universal and targeted measures. The programme for Government commits to incrementally reducing student contribution fees as well as increasing SUSI grants; providing targeted support measures for specific cohorts; providing more pathways into higher and further education; and improving how students navigate within the system. The programme for Government also states – this is less often quoted by commentators – that all this must be done in a financially sustainable manner. That is the wording. It is on the website for all to see.”
“That will be in the form of a paper and it will be available for reference to the Deputy, as her party's spokesperson for this area, and to all Members of the House. It will outline all the different options students suggested, with a costing against each one. For the first time this year, the paper will contain an impact analysis detailing what each measure would mean in terms of outcomes, policy goals, widening access and the material difference it would make to allow students to make the leap into education and navigate through it.”
“We are doing that. This week or next week, we will pass the Finance Bill through the Houses to give effect to those measures we have already decided, as a Government, to take. We are doing exactly as the Deputy suggests. We are providing further subsidies on the cost of travel to students in two ways, namely, through direct intervention at the petrol pumps for those students who travel by car and motorised transport and by additions to the maintenance grants, which are already in the system and being paid out to students across the country. Students are receiving those benefits from the new grant amounts that I increased for exactly that reason. I am always having ongoing conversations with students. I will be publishing shortly the outcome from the cost of college event I hosted this year.”
“That site used my new student accommodation design template. The fruits are already beginning to bear, but I am conscious it will take time to build those sites out, secure planning and move through the process. We are up and running with that now.”
“As the Deputy knows, the student supports I introduced in the most recent budget targeted, in particular, those students who have to travel extra distances. They are categorised as being "non-adjacent". All four bands of non-adjacent maintenance grants were increased by between €200 and €400 to reflect the additional costs for those commuting those distances. The Deputy mentioned accommodation, and rightly so. I am aware it is a key concern for most students. As the Deputy knows, I published the student accommodation strategy recently. It is building up steam. There have been almost 3,000 new commencements since it was introduced only a month or six weeks ago. I visited Whitebox Student Campus in Limerick where a site of approximately 1,200 to 1,400 beds is getting ready to move forward.”
“For any student who, as the Deputy described, is incurring increased travel costs, be it through their car or travelling on a bus, train or other vehicle, which all have heavy fuel costs, the idea behind the excise duty cut is that every household, family and student in a car or bus will avail of some sort of subsidy and relief on a temporary basis for the cost of travel, as the Deputy suggested. In short, I agree with the Deputy. That is exactly why the Government is moving swiftly on this.”
“As a result, more people are allowed in and the pool of access is broadened. Access to higher education is a life-changing event. The Deputy posed a specific question about travel costs and temporary supports. I agree with her, and so does the Government. That is why we recently agreed at Cabinet to provide €750 million of additional money to support people suffering as a result of the fuel crisis across a number of sectors. Most importantly, this is done in a way that supports everyone who uses motorised transport through reductions at the pumps. There is a 10 cent additional excise duty reduction, bringing the total reduction put in place this year to 32 cent per litre on diesel and 27 cent per litre on petrol, combined with a package of other measures.”
“The Deputy's question is timely. I am always conscious of the desire to reduce the cost of education for students. I met a number of students recently at the cost of college event where I had very good conversations. I am meeting AMLÉ tomorrow and I meet student unions across the country on an ongoing basis. On many occasions, I have outlined my commitment to improving student supports in a way that is equitable, funded, fair and provides certainty for families. That is one of the reasons I prioritised student supports in the most recent budget, my first budget in this role. Real and permanent changes were introduced that support students from all backgrounds and help reduce the cost of education, particularly for those who may not have traditionally been able to access it.”
“I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Order of the Dáil of 5th February, 2025, or in the Order of the Dáil of 15th April, 2026, setting out the rota in which Questions to members of the Government are to be asked, Questions for oral answer following those set down to the Minister for Defence, shall be set down to Ministers in the following temporary sequence: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whereupon the sequence established by the Order of 5th February, 2025, shall continue with Questions to the Minister for Rural and Community Development.”
“It is beyond doubt at this stage that they have not only met those targets but surpassed them, and this is why they are technological universities today. Some of the institutions, however, for whatever reason, were not suitable or did not engage in that process. Earlier, we heard a debate about the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and I absolutely share its ambitions for university status. It is the aspiration of Dundalk Institute of Technology, along with Queen's University, to become a university college there.”
“A number of institutions in the State are perhaps finding they struggle. I am not saying Marino is in this category, but there are some smaller institutions that may find they do not enjoy critical mass and wish to partner with a larger institution. It is one of the reasons the technological universities were created. We had multiple institutes of technology around the country, and joining those together meant the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. That was very much the philosophy that led to the creation of the technological universities. The process was assisted by an OECD report to ensure that the criteria for gaining university status were being met in all cases. To be fair, there have been some excellent examples of research innovation and high-quality education across all the TUs.”
“I think that has been regarded as helpful within the college. If it does wish to take the next steps, it knows what to do and I would certainly be happy to engage as that progresses.”
“An interest has been expressed in exploring a closer collaboration or partnership. I am not in any way opposed to that, but neither am I in a position to mandate it. Regarding the next steps, Marino, if it wishes to, is freely entitled to continue as it is as a stand-alone, independent college within the system. Equally, if it wishes to achieve an alignment with a third level higher education institution, it is perfectly entitled to do so as well. As I set out on the day, without going into the details on the floor of the Dáil, a number of steps are to be taken towards that, a process which ultimately means the college's destiny lies with itself and whatever putative partner it may wish to engage with. I have set out what needs to be done if it wishes to follow that path. It is an autonomous institution.”
“I am very familiar with the Marino Institute of Education, notwithstanding that it is under the remit of the Department of Education and Youth. I recently visited it with Deputies Brabazon, Heneghan and Ó Muirí. The college serves a vital function in producing primary school teachers. It also has a wonderful ethos in terms of its embrace of an teanga Gaeilge and iománaíocht agus peile. The institute has had a variety of sporting achievements. The cultúr there spoke very strongly to me when I visited. It was very evident in the institution. I do not want to put it too strongly because, again, some of these negotiations and engagements can be somewhat sensitive, but I am aware that Marino has engaged with at least one third level institution in the co-awarding of degrees. I think it is not a secret that it is Trinity College Dublin.”
“The request has been made and it has only come to my desk very recently. It is an issue I engaged with the TUI on at its conference and when I met its executive. To put it simply, I have great sympathy for the argument and I hope to be in a position to progress this matter shortly.”
“The Deputy is right. I will give another example of the kind of creative learning that occurs. In the course of maths week this year, I visited Youthreach in Naas in my own constituency where I saw many of the learners being engaged. Learning in the STEM and technology space was very evident that day. From speaking to tutors and learners, I know there is a range of activities and skills. Down the road, Newbridge CTC is another centre I visited recently. Any time I visit a constituency, I seek to go to a Youthreach or CTC because I think it is so valuable to do so. I am continually being impressed by the quality of education and the determination found in those institutions. Separately, on the question of Youthreach, I am also aware of the issue of aligning with the school calendar.”
“Many of them have challenges, all of a different nature. Many of them blossom when they are given an opportunity in a CTC or Youthreach centre. That is something I am very keen to continue to support.”
“I completely agree with the Deputy. In terms of the vulnerable cohort of students, part of my political philosophy is to take a progressive approach by giving most support to people who need it most and making targeted interventions. That goes to the heart of the issue, in terms of the learners attending Youthreach, a CTC or an LTI. I have had the privilege of meeting many such learners. In fact, I have a piece of art that was put together by a learner in Kilkenny Youthreach. It now has pride of place on the wall of my office across the corridor. The stories of each learner are unique and different. They are often inspiring and challenging. One of the points made to me by the educators in the centres is that there is not a homogenous group. There are many different people coming through with many different stories to tell.”
“One of them is to look at a consolidated strategy that would allow CTCs to enjoy effectively the same rights and entitlements as the Youthreach centres currently enjoy, in a way that promotes them as a common entity or certainly as a common mode of educational delivery. There is such a similarity across the two services that it would make sense to consolidate in a way that gives both a greater platform.”
“I do not want to go into great detail on the record in the Dáil for fear of misquoting or misattributing a figure somewhere because it would be unhelpful to the process were I to do that. I will share my view that CTCs and Youthreach perform similar functions and it would be desirable to strengthen both by ní neart go cur le chéile - being stronger together. There is a sort of consolidation exercise in a very positive way that could be performed there in terms of bringing them together. I have engaged with some CTCs on that initiative already. It is something I have called out in my tertiary strategy, which I brought to Cabinet on Tuesday. There are several actions in that strategy, close to 100.”
“I thank Deputy Cummins. I share her high regard for the CTC sector and also for the very similar work Youthreach organisations perform. I have had the privilege of visiting both in my role on a number of different occasions. I attended the Irish Association of Community Training Organisations, IACTO, annual conference. I think it was in Athlone. It was certainly in the midlands. I attended that event, spoke with the IACTO executive and addressed the membership. It was a really positive event which I was pleased to be able to engage with. I have a great interest in that area. In terms of the pay negotiations, I do not want to trespass on the functions of the Department of public expenditure, which is leading the negotiations in that regard. However, I am aware of some advances and some progress made.”
“Ironically, and perhaps unexpectedly, they are the skills that employers are seeking out more and more, rather than deep technical qualifications that are, of course, in great demand, but workers need to be able to translate learning across different sectors and respond to change as it comes at them.”
“It is something I have been saying for ten years. The Deputy and I have joined in common cause on that in this House before. A point I have made at a number of events I attended, including today, for example, with companies in the technology and digital space, is that we need to produce a wide range of graduates across all disciplines. That is even more the case in the age of AI and digital because the problem-solving, collaborative, creative mindset enables and creates those transversal skills that can be applied across a range of jobs and areas of industry in the future. The job for life has long been a thing of the past but the skill set for life is something that is continuing to change and evolve. It is those creative industries that can very helpfully augment that talent pool in a portable, transferable way.”
“The Deputy mentioned AMLÉ. I met AMLÉ yesterday. I hosted a cost of college event where we met a number of students, learners, apprentices, researchers and people in the system across a range of institutions. It was a very helpful event which will inform my deliberations on the budget later this year. It is on my list to arrange, in the next couple of weeks, a dedicated sit-down meeting with the Irish Federation of University Teachers, IFUT, which represents researchers. I met with IFUT before but I am working towards a one-to-one meeting to hear what the organisation has to say on the issue. I invite Deputy Boyd Barrett to share with me some of the details if there are issues of that kind.”
“I would be very concerned if I was to learn, and I invite the Deputy to share details with me if it is happening, of researchers being told they cannot research certain areas and are being directed toward particular areas of research, because academic freedom is a key part of my strategy, the Department's strategy and Research Ireland's strategy. It is also the case that I have promoted education as a public good and the pursuit of curiosity and knowledge as one of the four pillars of my Department's strategy. It is fundamental to my approach that researchers should not be told that a particular area is off limits or is not in vogue. In fact, there should be that full academic freedom. There are a number of schemes in place that should be supporting that. I invite Deputy Boyd Barrett to share those details with me if he wishes.”
“I would give an assurance to those researchers that while there may be a change in title of some of the schemes and a movement from one scheme to another, the overall contents of those programmes are being continued. The funding is also being continued. Those researchers should not have to fear the changes they are hearing about.”
“I am familiar with the situation. Research Ireland is changing some of the schemes it operates. It is consolidating some schemes. There were a number of different schemes within it, partly arising from the merger of the Irish Research Council to Research Ireland, and there was some duplication of schemes and programmes within that. There has been a consolidation. A new strategy has been adopted by Research Ireland, which is one I applaud and share the ambition of. Research Ireland has been funded to a level that has never been seen before. It has been one of the focuses of my time in this role that I have invested significant research funding, including in Research Ireland, which should be working its way through to the individual researchers.”
“I am working with my colleague the Minister, Deputy Calleary, on that and on the pathways. My Department is investing significantly. A number of officials are looking at a project around that to support that transition journey so that they will find an employer that is suited to their requirements and so we can make that journey work for all.”
“As I said, I am aware of the issue and am very much engaged with the Deputy and the workers on it. We have had good meetings with them. The Deputy engaged with my predecessor on the matter in a similarly constructive fashion. I thank him for the approach he has taken to it. While we are talking about the assistance provided through those very diligent workers that the Deputy represents and those to whom he has introduced me in his area and other parts of the country, we also have work to do around the transitions from education into the workplace. Many learners with intellectual of physical difficulties have said to me - I have met a variety of groups - that they are managing to navigate the education system, but it is about actually getting a job. It is about getting the dignity at work at the far side. That is fundamental.”
“I intervened in that regard and made a sum available - €2 million, in fact - through SOLAS, which has been disbursed to the ETBs. This now means a transport scheme is available for those learners with intellectual disabilities to take up their FET place within the system. The funds have been made available to the ETBs. My Department has issued guidance as to how that should be operated. I hope that will make a meaningful impact for those learners and their families.”
“There are a number of different ways in which I can assist students with challenges in navigating the educational system. One cohort of such students are those with intellectual disabilities who are engaged in further education and training programmes. I became aware of a lacuna in the system last year when a case was presented to me. There was no transport system available for those students to avail of learning within their own areas, which often meant a parent had to take time off. Perhaps they could not even take up a job or work outside the home because the student was entirely dependent on that parent to bring them up and down to the place of learning. Those places of learning were somewhat unique and specialist and not necessarily available in every town or village. It is typically one or two per county.”
“I appreciate that the question the Deputy is asking goes to the workers of his constituency, and the wider group whom I have met and engaged with. My proposal is to engage with the Deputy offline on that in terms of the latest development. It has been through the WRC, as he mentioned. I do not want to say too much on the Dáil record for fear of interfering with the industrial relations process, but we might engage on that offline.”
“It may not be a direct correlation to perhaps an SNA-type role that we would see within the second level or primary school system because there has to be a degree of autonomy, dignity and recognition that the young adult may not be as keen to have a companion at all times in a way that a student at a junior level might. The actual nature and parameters of it are a little bit complex and require understanding. There are multiple other supports from assistive technology through to different schemes. I increased the student assistance fund to €19 million this year, the highest it has ever been. It has a discretionary allocation within it that welfare officers and access officers in colleges can use to support students with a particular need.”
“I can give a very good answer in a minute or I can give the Deputy an answer off the top of my head right away. I do have any prepared answers left. We are beyond the range of questions that are normally reached. I am very much aware of that situation. I have met the group with the Deputy in Leinster |House and we have had some good conversations. A disability demonstration project is under way in my Department, the purpose of which is to fathom the appropriate level of supports available to adult learners within the third level and further education system.”
“We very much have a shared goal and I want to thank the Minister for Health publicly for her collaboration and cooperation with me on this piece of work. I also want to thank the Minister for Education and Youth in that regard because we are also looking at speech therapists, educational psychologists and a number of different professionals within the educational sphere. One of the key aspects to this is not just increasing the number of college places, although that is important, but having the placements that students can go on within the hospital setting as part of their training. The Minister for Health is working with me on that.”
“I sympathise with the plight of people. The Deputy asks what I am doing about that. I am creating more professionals. I am creating more college places and more capacity on those courses that are in demand. I am doing this for two reasons. The first is to enable access for professionals into those courses and the other is to ensure that we have a supply of graduates into the system to provide the services that the Deputy speaks about. It is not related to my Ministry but there are incentives for GPs practising in rural areas. The rural practitioner allowance is a payment made to GPs taking on a rural practice to reflect the nature of the work they do, which can be somewhat different. In terms of conversations with the Department of Health, the Minister for Health and I have had a number of conversations on this issue.”
“That focuses on future practitioners who will have a rural catchment area and a slightly different practice than might be the case for an urban practitioner, which is helpful. The ATU and SETU are creating new veterinary courses with a focus on large animal practice, unlike the small animal practices that are typical of cities. The RCSI have a proposal for a new GP medical course focusing on care in the community. Each of these new courses has a particular focus which is of societal benefit.”
“On dentistry, I was pleased to visit the RCSI's new dental hospital in Sandyford recently where a number of new places have been created straight into the system. I met students who are already in first year on that course and they were participating eagerly. I am very aware of the shortages of GPs and the pressure on rural practices as a TD and have seen it myself in my own constituency. One of the benefits of the new courses I have been supporting and encouraging is that rather than doing the same thing in every university, and repeating it around the country, universities are coming forward with different offerings that are more targeted and localised. For example, in Galway a new medical degree is being offered in the area of rural and remote medicine.”
“I am currently in the process of undertaking a second round of expressions of interest. I have invited the universities to consider whether, having provided 1,100 extra places, they can do more. Can we create more places? That has two effects. The first is that it creates more capacity in the system, which should exert downward pressure on points, leading to more students getting their first choice or certainly, their first, second or third. It also increases the throughput of those professions through the system. It is a very important piece of work.”
“When I assumed my role in the Department, I asked the HEA to conduct an expression of interest exercise. The authority went to the different universities and asked them how many more students they could take on board. I was happy to fund that and indeed, we have done that already this year by creating the 1,100 additional places. This is also imperative in the context of the whole-of-government focus on disability services and healthcare and in the context of our demographics, whereby we have a population that is ageing and living longer. It is key that people are enabled not just to live longer lives, but to live healthier lives as well, and part of that is having the medical and other professionals available to assist. This is an important mission of Government.”
“I would never be so bold as to make a commitment that every applicant will get his or her first choice every time because I am not sure that is something the system has ever achieved. However, 80% of applicants receive their first, second or third choice within the system. The vast majority of students receive a choice within their top three course preferences and that is positive. The traditionally high-point courses in healthcare, including medicine, nursing and dentistry, as well as physiotherapy and veterinary medicine the Deputy mentioned are all in high demand and they typically attract high points. One of the issues I have been working on is increasing the provision of courses. We have 1,100 additional places available in the current year.”
“I agree with the suggestion about the greater utilisation of Gaelcholáistí and Gaelscoileanna as part of the educational real estate, which could play host to some courses of this nature. That is a good suggestion and one that I will take away with me and consider. I reiterate my Department's commitment to furthering provision of Irish language in this space and across all aspects of the tertiary estate. Tá an Rialtas tiomanta oibriú ar bhonn thras-Rannach oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge a neartú ag gach leibhéal ó na leathbhlianta go dtí an tríú leibhéal ag cinntiú gur obair thairbheach agus inbhuanaithe atá ann chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. I hope I have provided some reassurance to the Deputy that this is being taken seriously by me and within an Roinn freisin.”