Kildare Minister Under Fire: €8m Plan To Attract Foreign Academics Labelled "Hypocritical"

Wednesday, 14 May 2025 10:22

By Martin Osborne

Speaking to Kfm, Deputy Lawless said he would meet with members of SIPTU and The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) to listen to their concerns.

Kildare North TD and Higher Education Minister James Lawless has been strongly criticised over proposals to spend millions of euro in an attempt to lure overseas academics to Ireland.

Speaking to Kfm, Minister Lawless said his department has a budget of €4.5 billion, with €8 million being spent on the proposal.

He said he could have spent much more.

The spend and proposal has been strongly criticised by SIPTU and the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT).

They have criticised the proposal by Minister Lawless to offer additional pay to overseas academics, calling it "hypocritical" amid ongoing understaffing and precarious employment in Irish higher education.

Speaking to Kfm, Deputy Lawless said he would meet with members of SIPTU and The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) to listen to their concerns.

They said the Minister would be better off focusing on issues at home, including casual employment contracts.

Minister Lawless said there is always going to be a mix of opinions but committed to meeting the groups.

SIPTU Education Sector Organiser, Karl Byrne, said: “Our members have noted the hypocrisy of this Government’s approach to issues in the Further and Higher Education Sector. While it has failed to deal with apprenticeship delivery and precarious employment issues, despite previous commitments by Ministers and the Department of Further and Higher Education, it now has the public funds available to incentivise overseas academics to come here to work."

“The Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless, would be better served focusing on the outstanding recommendations of the Oireachtas Education Committee’s Report from 2022. Specifically ensuring that staffing levels increase so they can support additional courses, services and student numbers in the sector.”

Minister Lawless said he will get a copy of the Committee's report and study it.