Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 21 June 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

Key Issues in Higher and Further Education: Discussion

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The answer is "Yes". Every university in Ireland needs to see the provision of student accommodation as a core part of its work. I can say that because it is not the State just saying it, as we are willing to get involved in part-funding it. In fairness to the technological universities, this is a new space for them. Institutes of technology, which the TUs were before, never built student accommodation, with the exception of Waterford Institute of Technology. Consequently, they do not necessarily have the in-house capacity. Tomorrow we will announce the details of the appointment of experts to help them come up with their plans. I hope TU Dublin can be a part of that and expect it can. On UCD, I expect to have good news in the next month to try to move forward that student accommodation with Government assistance.