Minister Lawless obtains Second Stage Approval in the Dáil for the National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill Act
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Ó: An Roinn Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta
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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD has today obtained Second Stage approval in the Dáil for the National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill.
This legislation will unlock the nearly €1.5 billion funding package, announced in Budget 2025, for the tertiary education sector over a six-year period from 2025 to 2030.
This includes:
- €885m current funding including, increasing funding for higher education by a further €150m per annum by 2030 and one-off current funding for the tertiary sector including skills and apprenticeships;
- €600m capital uplift to enable skills development, including facilities in the areas of healthcare and veterinary skills and further education skills; supporting universal access to skill provision; and the research sector (including an increase in the PhD stipend).
Minister Lawless stated in the Dáil:
"The National Training Fund is a strategic national asset for reskilling and upskilling our workforce. The National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill makes targeted changes to the existing legislation to allow capital expenditure from the Fund for the first time. It ensures that the nearly €1.5 billion funding package announced in Budget 2025 can begin to flow from 2026 onwards.
"This investment will support the development of critical skills across higher education, further education, apprenticeships and research. It includes new facilities in areas like healthcare and veterinary training, expanded access to skills provision, and increased support for researchers including a rise in the PhD stipend.
"I am committed to using the Fund strategically to meet the evolving needs of our economy. This Bill ensures we can invest not only in people but also in the infrastructure that supports them. It is about delivering the skills Ireland needs to thrive in the 21st Century.
"The aim is to bring this legislation through both Houses of the Oireachtas and enact it by the end of the year."
NOTES
The National Training Fund was established by the National Training Fund Act, 2000 as a dedicated fund for schemes, which are established to:
- raise the skills of those in employment,
- provide training to those who wish to acquire skills to take up employment, or
- provide information in relation to existing, or likely future, requirements for skills in the economy.
The Act provides for the imposition of a Levy on employers for a group of certain employees. Originally set at 0.7% of reckonable earnings, the rate was increased incrementally by 0.1% over 3 years, from 2018 to 2020, to the 1% rate currently applied following consultation with industry partners.
The accumulated surplus in the Fund is estimated to be approximately €1.8 billion at the end of 2024.