Third Level Fees
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
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James Lawless (FF), Kildare North

There is a case to be made for sponsoring, perhaps to a greater degree than is currently the case, students in the situation the Deputy described. It may be of interest to the Deputy and the House that I have asked my Department to commence preparation of a strategy for the creative arts, on how we support our artistic institutions, including the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, IEDT, the National College of Art and Design, NCAD, the Royal Irish Academy of Music and others, which perform a vital function in the creative tapestry of the social life in the State.
It is pertinent at a time when we require more transversal skills and the deep dive of specialised education is no longer as transferable as it once was. We need graduates to come out with skills in communication, problem solving and analysis. I often find the creative arts is a wonderful foundry for that kind of skill set and those kinds of ideas. I will take it on board. I would be happy to talk to the Deputy separately if he wants to follow up with me on the details of the case, or Deputy Ó Cearúil may wish to. In the context of the creative arts strategy, I will certainly examine whether there are any lacunas that could perhaps be usefully filled.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23