Results 641-660 of 1,063,050 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Frank Feighan OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Chris Andrews OR speaker:Chris Andrews8 OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Chris Andrews6 OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Johnny Guirke) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am sorry about earlier on. There were votes and a Bill on agricultural appeals under way. I apologise that not all of us could be here when the witnesses were talking. I have known Dr. Farrell for a long time. She is a good Mountbellew woman. She has spent a lifetime trying to bring forward ideas for rural Ireland, for sustainability and to keep rural communities alive. A long time...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: On the likes of agricultural science courses, I presume the colleges are analysing the number of students who are doing these courses as against the numbers ten or 15 years ago. Has there been an uptick in the number of women in agricultural science?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I would be the first to say, as I have many a time, that in light of the age profile of farmers, we badly need a retirement scheme to encourage people to move the land on to the next generation. I will mention one thing. The witnesses probably have this in their analysis. For males and females, lifestyle now has changed compared with years ago. In some cases farmers will say they have got...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I was at a social farming event this morning down near Elfin. It is great to see that how that has worked with the small bit of funding that it gets. The thing for farmers at the moment is that they might not see a person from one end of the week to the other especially if they are living on their own and we need to try to sort that out. I have been talking to MEPs, etc. and I know that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am sorry for interrupting Dr. Murtagh. What does she mean by organisations. Are they state bodies?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: We need to face the reality that over the past 12 to 15 years, the loss of farmers throughout Europe has been phenomenal. While people may live in fantasy, they still need food to stay alive. Whether people believe that are not, some obviously do not at the moment. People need to realise that. It would be useful if the witnesses could forward to the committee details of that French...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Chairman. I thank the committee for rescheduling this meeting, which was due to be held in the summer but was postponed due to a bereavement. I thank my officials for joining me today. My Department is committed to supporting the success of all learners and drive improvements in the overall performance of the tertiary education system as well as providing continued support...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In the three-year period between 2021 and 2023, 1,526 were recorded as having left their apprenticeship. The total apprenticeship population-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: There was €77.4 million investment to grow apprenticeships. This funding represents an increase of approximately €39 million from 2024-2025, a 13% increase. The funding will provide for 6,800 craft registrations forecast in 2025. There is €5.9 million to grow the consortia-led apprenticeship, €4 million to enable transition to the single system of apprenticeship...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The registrations for craft in 2023 were 6,588, for consortia-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Well, no, from 2023 to 2024 we hope to have the capacity in the system to allow for growth of 34%.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: We are also using the money, as I said on the day I spoke in the Dáil, with regard to the €77.4 million-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: We had a backlog, as the Deputy will be aware.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: We have cleared that backlog substantially, and this represents a more than a 30% increase in the capacity we were able to deliver in 2023 versus 2025.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy and other colleagues have raised in the Dáil on many occasions-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: -----we had a backlog problem. We have invested heavily in that and cleared that backlog, as she is aware. The capacity in the system will allow us to deliver in excess of 30% more. With regard to the ETBs alone, the training capacity in the ETBs has increased by 34%, from 5,600 places in 2023 to more than 7,500 places in August 2024.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Yes. I do not have a breakdown with me of the backlog, but I can get it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The ambition of the Department is spelled out by me. It is spelled out in the quantum of investment we are setting aside to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: If the Deputy is talking about ambition and what the Department has done with regard to clearing the backlog, building capacity, employing more tutors, increasing more spaces-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: -----with regard to growing the number of craft and other apprentices, it is clear we are making substantial progress in this area. The investment I have set aside for 2025 demonstrates that.