I thank the Deputy very much for raising this important issue. Just this morning before I came into the House, I attended an event in the Accenture offices in Dublin, sponsored by IBEC, where it had a conversation on AI and future skills needs. It was a wide-ranging conversation. It has published a report. It is publicly available. I was attending the launch of that report but there was also a panel discussion on the…
TDs / James Lawless
James Lawless
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
30
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
114,588
words spoken in the chamber
114,547 as a minister, 41 as a TD
360
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
19
topics asked about
Across 11 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 30 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 440 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 13 | 2 |
| February 2025 | 8 | 9 |
| March 2025 | 3 | 54 |
| April 2025 | 0 | 15 |
| May 2025 | 0 | 35 |
| June 2025 | 0 | 9 |
| July 2025 | 2 | 60 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| October 2025 | 0 | 44 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 1 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 44 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 40 |
| February 2026 | 1 | 1 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 2 | 39 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 42 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 0 | 40 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| October 2026 | 0 | 4 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 379 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Not enough questions on record to compare.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Kildare North 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science 23 January 2025 to now
We will see a period of change and of flux. There are challenges but there are also opportunities. Some jobs may well be lost but other jobs will be created, including different types of jobs. An example was given during the conversation this morning that when the Excel spreadsheet came into widespread use about 25 years ago, there were predictions there would be no more accountants and that they would become obsolet…
A bit of shorthand I often use, and I know a number of State agencies also use, to talk about the pace of change is the four Ds - digitalisation, decarbonisation, demographics and deglobalisation. All four of these things are happening quickly and we are living in a fast-changing world. The Deputy is right that we need to be adaptable and flexible. Some of the ways in which we are responding to that include, as I men…
I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 117 together.
The Deputy is absolutely right that this is a really important area of focus. I mentioned earlier the broader need for construction skills across every sector to meet the ambitions the Government has set out in terms of infrastructure delivery, be that transport, the metro project or DART+ - I know the Deputy’s constituency is in line for some benefits from the p…
If there is substantial money there, the Deputy can point me to it because it is all accounted for in my budget. It would be great if I did have more money but that will be something for the Estimates process when we go through that.
In terms of the numbers that are required, a recent independent report I commissioned from Indecon, which I brought to Cabinet, looked at our future construction workforce needs. It fou…
I can absolutely assure the Deputy that I am doing all I can in that space. We have a number of courses in plumbing, electrical, heat pump installation, site supervision, offshore wind turbine maintenance and many others. There is also the adoption more widely of MMC.
Specialist and technical skills are very important but other skills are equally important. The plans we have adopted to date aim to promote skills tra…
I thank the Deputy for his interest in this area. It is a critical area. The Deputy asked about the ERC and I think he may also want me to talk about the Horizon Europe programme.
They are two separate but complementary activities so I will speak to both in my answer. The European Research Council is one of the key instruments in the EU research and innovation framework programme, Horizon Europe. It was established in 2007 and is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research, funding researchers of any nationality and age. Ahead of the Irish Presidency, just last we…
I could not agree more. It is something that I have put front and centre in my Ministry since I took up this office. Fundamental research is absolutely key to driving Ireland as a knowledge economy, as a society and civilisationally more broadly. It is the key to future knowledge creation, economic growth and societal resilience. It is why I created, for example, the INSPIRE research infrastructure programme, with a …
As well as matching European funding, we have surpassed it because while we drew down €1 billion in Horizon Europe funding in the current term, I have committed over €2.45 billion for research funding from State funds, so we are doing far more.
I mentioned the INSPIRE research infrastructure programme, which is a €750 million commitment to research infrastructure. I launched seven new Rinn centres, which are the Res…
Before I respond, I wish St. Aidan's Services in Gorey well. I know the organisation very well because Gorey was my hometown before I ever lived in Kildare. My sister-in-law, Laura Walsh, is a service user in St. Aidan's. I do not think she is in the group today but if she is, I say "hello" to her and all of the other service users. The staff do a great job, and I thank them for everything they do. I am very familiar…
I certainly will, and I am open to proposals coming in from SETU on that. In fact, more than that, the next time I meet with SETU, I will inquire about the status of this proposal and what its intentions are regarding it.
Regarding SETU investment in the region more broadly, one of the most significant enhancements planned for Kilkenny is the development of Kildalton Agricultural College. It will accommodate the new…
I share that ambition. It is important that it has a footprint across the south-east region.
To be fair, we met with Kildalton. We are seeing this at other locations across the south east. I take the point about that particular project, which the Deputy would like to see being advanced more rapidly. That is a fair ask. Kilkenny is a growing city with really strong employment. I worked there with VHI for a number of …
I thank Deputy Smith for his constant engagement in respect of this matter. I know it is one that is very dear to him. Through his chairmanship of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, he is advancing ties between our jurisdictions all the time and looking to extend cross-border and all-Ireland relationships. I very much share his ambition in that regard.
My Department is engaged in extensive collaboration with …
One project that I did not mention in my initial response is the digital creative industries programme, which is a €10 million, all-island project supported by shared island capital. It will enhance collaboration with the creative and digital industries in areas like graphic design, movies, the arts and digital arts across both jurisdictions. It is a project that is now live. It was one of the shared island projects …
I thank the Deputy for his invitation to visit that day, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth. We had a very good engagement in Cavan and then visited the institute. I share the Deputy’s desire to see the college of the future advance at pace. I hope to have a positive announcement on that in the near future. I will certainly be keeping Members apprised of that. It is my intention that the institute w…
The short answer is that I have. I engaged with the Irish Universities Association, IUA, as recently as this morning, when I met Paul Johnston, the director general, at an event. I am very aware of the association's asks. It is something that we are working through with it with regard to future funding. There was a commitment through the national training fund to continue to support the core funding allocation for Ir…
As I mentioned in response to earlier questions, we have a commitment of €4.55 billion to the sector more broadly in the capital envelope available through the national development plan, which is record investment and strong support for research and innovation in the higher and further education ecosystems.
I have taken receipt of the IUA's pre-budget submission. I have to go through it. I understand the challenges …
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. I mentioned the targeted enhancement fund, which supports technological universities in their continued growth. The results are coming through. In the last 100 top university rankings…
Learn the rules.
I will start the debate by reflecting back on 100 years ago. The 1926 census digitisation recently emerged and it showed a very different Ireland. It is worth reflecting on the journey that we have travelled in that 100 years.
Before I get into that, though, I hope the House will indulge me a brief personal note. Had I not been performing parliamentary duties today, I would have been attending my grand-aunt, auntie …
I hope to be in this House as long as him.
Reading, writing and arithmetic.
We are trying to increase the number of healthcare places in the system and we have added 1,100 across therapies, medicine, nursing, midwifery, etc. Placement opportunities are essential for these courses to go full term. I have been working very closely with the Minister for Health on this. The Minister for Health has appointed HSE regional co-ordinators for placements, specifically for this issue, to ensure that ea…
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, fu…