Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Yes. This is Maynooth University but could equally relate to any of the universities where additional resources are sought from students in relation to student services. I welcome where these are treated separately. There were referendums in Maynooth to collect an additional amount going back to the 1990s. The money was to be borrowed from the European Investment Bank and then paid back by the levy. That levy was increased in 2015 to provide the new building, which had commenced. Now the project has terminated.

There is a big protest outside Maynooth today. Maynooth started as a college with about 5,000 students. There are now about 15,000 so it is one of the more rapidly growing universities. There are people from all parts of the country attending it and there are many positive things to say about it. However, where there is a dedicated amount of money for particular projects, is it set out in the accounts that it is used for the purpose for which it is collected? It appears this project has been ended and, instead of that facility being provided, they are told there will be additional spaces in other buildings around the campus, seating and things like that. It is not what the students voted for. The issue is about how it is accounted for and holding them to account for delivering things that are collected for. It is a big deal to be paying €150 on top of the €3,000. The student body has got bigger there over the years.