Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are back in public session. There are some questions concerning student accommodation. There is a shortage and what is available is very expensive. Added to that is the housing crisis. The shortage of accommodation adjacent to third level institutions is compounding this situation. The cost is escalating. On-campus accommodation in UCD costs more than €11,500 a year and €10,000 in Trinity College Dublin. For DCU, the cost is €900 a month. The University of Galway has just opened a 674-bed facility, as I understand it, and places there cost from €672 monthly. In terms of student income, this cost is very high.

Costs are key to getting people from low- or middle-income households to go to third level. The funding of approximately €430 million announced for student accommodation is very welcome. Some funding was announced before that as well, including €31 million for 560 student accommodation places at the universities in Maynooth, Limerick and Galway. As I recall, a further €41 million was provided for a 405-bed on-campus accommodation facility at DCU. If we put all this together in terms of student accommodation units on site, the figure is 3,665 places. The total budget announced in this regard, if we were to add the whole lot together on top of the more recent €434 million, is €506 million. This is very important for the midlands, where I come from. There are no third level colleges there, so students generally live where they study. What has been happening to gear up the delivery of this new student accommodation? It is an important aspect of the third level sector.