Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will quote from the meeting I had with the USI the day before we announced the policy, where they described the policy as extremely welcome. People have to say in public what they say in private. If they do not, I will call them out on it. We had a meeting that lasted a couple of hours. It was a good and engaging meeting. We have listened to 22,801 students. They will contact the Deputy and they can contact me or email me in any way they want. I guarantee her, if she goes back to each of them, and there are many of them, that she will see, in the policy approved by the Government approved last week, significant elements of what they asked for being addressed. I have great respect for the Deputy, but saying something does not make it true. There is not a reannouncement here. It is a statement of fact. Before the Government decision last Tuesday, we could not press "Go" on 521 beds in DCU and Maynooth. We absolutely and 100% had permission to engage. However, as the Deputy knows, there are stages that have to be gone through in every process. The stage we were at last week, an important stage, was that 521 extra student houses will be built this year. That is really good. I think it is significant progress that there will be 521 more student accommodation beds in DCU, and I reckon students in DCU and Maynooth do too. The President of DCU does. I am sure the Deputy is in contact with him and he can tell her how significant he sees this. The President of Maynooth University can tell her how significant she sees this. It is €61 million of taxpayers' money that did not exist and was not made available until last week. There is also-----