Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless has said he would be “disappointed, but not especially surprised” if Fianna Fáil fails to win either byelection in Dublin Central or Galway West next week.With the party polling in single digits a week out from the votes he said the “statistical evidence over the last 50 years of byelections” show “Governments traditionally don’t win byelections”.He added, however, there were many candidates who did not win byelection but were successful at general elections. He cited the example of Minister of State Thomas Byrne who, having lost his seat in Meath East in 2011, failed to win a byelection in 2014 but returned to government two years later.Speaking to reporters at the 84th Fianna Fáil ardfheis on Saturday, Lawless said“I wouldn’t obsess really on the byelections. I think that they’re important contests for the party and for the candidates involved, and I hope they’ll do extremely well. And I’ll be out again with both of them. “But I do think that there’s a risk of reading too much into local contests at a particular point of the electoral cycle.”Referring to third level fees, the Minister also insisted: “the only direction fees will go on my watch is down”. The cuts in fees “that I’ve introduced are there to stay, and I hope to build upon those, in each successive budget”.He also pledged “targeted measures, identifying particular cohorts that are under pressure, giving those cohorts additional support that they need”, including disadvantaged families, disabled students and families with two or more students in college at the same time, families with “multiple rents”.He also welcomed a decision on organisational structures that will give party grassroots a great say in decisions.The party voted to give councillors and full voting members of the party a vote in the selection of a future presidential candidate. The motion follows in the wake of Fianna Fáil’s presidential election disaster with candidate selection only by the parliamentary party of Senators and TDs.Kanturk Cllr Bernard Moynihan, who proposed the motion, said “the last process was no fault of anybody” but the party “needs to be agile, moving with the times” and “300 councillors who are really connected into our communities need to be included”.Delegates also heard that while the party had debts of €1,527,288 at the end of 2024, in line with party projections at this point in the Dáil cycle. The party “will clear this debt and build an election fund for the future elections cycles in this Dáil period”, honorary treasurers Minister of State Niall Collins and Kevin Fitzgerald said in their financial report to the party.The party also voted for a greater role for local cumainn by giving them extra delegate votes at ardfheisanna based on “active membership”.Delegates also backed a move to ensure two ardfheisanna in every five would take place outside the Greater Dublin area, as a Co Clare delegate spoke of having to pay €360 for a Dublin hotel on Friday night.