Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are very welcome. I thank them for the great work they are doing. We are very proud of the advances they have made over the past number of years across the country. Two of my colleagues from TUS and the ATU, Mr. McGarvey and Professor Cunnane, are present. ATU was the first university north of the Dublin-Galway line since the formation of the State. For me and many others, it is a game-changer. There are new programmes put in ATU, such as pharmacy and veterinary medicine. People do not fully understand the advances and services that the witnesses have ensured.

It is housing, housing, housing. I am a Government Member and housing is our priority. There are a lot of priorities, but housing is the priority that I hear about across the country. We had Mr. Emil Kindl before the committee last week, who is the ATU student union president, along with other presidents. They were very direct and robust, but they were very measured. We heard loud and clear the challenges students faced. The witnesses have outlined the challenges they face as well.

The high cost of land, construction and finance has made it difficult for developers. We have to provide solutions. We have the strategy coming out in October. I look forward to that strategy. Mr. McGarvey mentioned transport. The Local Link services have certainly helped a little bit. There is also the Sligo-Dublin railway line. We need trains coming from Carrick-on-Shannon and Longford into Sligo in the morning. All these things help.

We had awful issue, and the witnesses might elaborate on Milligan Court and Benbulben Court. As I said last week, the developer put the two fingers up to everybody. Is there anything we could have done or can do to stop that kind of greed happening again and address the shortage of beds? I thank the student unions, the witnesses before us and all the stakeholders for the work they did for enabling people through renting out extra rooms. It helped, but it was only putting a plaster on a difficult situation.

I look forward to hearing the witnesses' views on what we can do. I am speaking as a Government Member. We need to borrow funds and the TUs need to be given every tool in the box to enable the delivery of student accommodation. If student accommodation accounts for 500 apartments in Sligo town, Letterkenny, Athlone or wherever, it takes the pressure off housing. It is a no-brainer. What more can the Government do in this strategy that is coming up soon?

I thank the witnesses for the great work they do.