Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Student Accommodation: Discussion
2:00 am
Mr. Ciaran McCaffrey:
I will come in on the point about the short-term activation programme. The UCD scheme is currently with us and that is for 493 beds. We expect to see progress and construction commencement on that imminently. The other scheme of 405 beds in DCU is working its way through the governance process for the institution as well.
On resourcing, institutions have been amalgamated. The senior management teams are being put in place and the various different functions are being built out. As that happens, student accommodation is an element. Mr. Lemass mentioned resourcing for institutions. That is something we expect to progress, along with the bus programme. As part of some of the research studies we did, we had extensive engagement with the National Transport Authority. There is a piece of work underway there on planning and transport routes that I hope will be more beneficial for students in certain catchment areas.