Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Everyone is very welcome to our first meeting since our summer break. I ask anyone attending remotely to mute themselves when not contributing so we do not pick up any background noise or feedback. As usual, I remind all those in attendance to ensure their mobile phones are in silent mode or switched off.

Members attending remotely are reminded of the constitutional requirement that, in order to participate in public meetings, they must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex. As the witnesses are within the precincts of Leinster House, they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the presentations they make to the committee. This means they have an absolute defence against any defamation action for anything they say at this meeting. However, witnesses are expected not to abuse this privilege and it is my duty as Cathaoirleach to ensure this privilege is not abused. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative they comply with any such direction.

Members are also reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not comment on, criticise, or make charges against a person or entity outside the Houses or an official of the Houses either by name or in such a way to make him or her identifiable.

On the agenda for today's meeting is student accommodation. I welcome Mr. Bryan O'Mahony, president of Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn; Ms Maise Hall, president of Comhaltas na Mac Léinn Ollscoil na Gaillimhe; Mr. Emil Kindl, president of Atlantic Technological University Sligo Students Union; Mr. Alex Angland, president of University College Cork Students' Union; and Mr. Michael Roche, president of University College Dublin Students Union.

We have received five opening statements. To maximise discussion time on this topic, I will call Mr. O'Mahony to make his opening statement. Before I do, though, apologies have been received from Senators Dee Ryan and Paul Daly and Deputy John Connolly.

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, AMLÉ, represents over 300,000 students across the island of Ireland. The message we are receiving from our members is as clear as it is consistent. The lack of student accommodation is quickly becoming the single greatest barrier to our members accessing and completing higher education. Irish students are faced with a critical shortage in public funding of purpose-built student accommodation. While a number of new units have opened in recent years, they have largely been delivered not by the Government, but by private developers that have sought to exploit the current student accommodation crisis rather than solve it. As a result, much of the available student accommodation charges rents far beyond the reach of ordinary students, forcing them into the private market. This adds strain to the already pressurised housing market, with students competing directly with young families and workers.

The cost of accommodation has become unsustainable. Average rents in purpose-built student accommodation exceed €800 per month, with luxury developments costing considerably more. For students relying on SUSI or juggling work with their studies, these rents are simply impossible to meet.

In the absence of affordable student accommodation, many students turn to insecure or unsuitable accommodation. Students are couch surfing, staying in hostels and sleeping in cars. Some students relying on digs or the rent-a-room scheme. While this has helped ease the pressure, it comes with major issues such as students facing curfews, restricted access to kitchens and living spaces, and being kicked out at the weekend. The rules can change at short notice. They are not protected. The digs are unregulated and students are not protected by the Residential Tenancies Act. Therefore, they have no security of tenancy or enforceable rights and are vulnerable to unfair treatment despite often paying high rents.

Students are facing long commutes. We hear daily from students who travel two, three or four hours to and from campus. These journeys are exhausting and cause burnout. How can we expect our students to do well in their academic studies if they are unable to do so? International students are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in this loosely regulated, and barely policed, private rental market. They arrive in Ireland without the benefit of a local network and have limited ability to view properties ahead of their arrival. They often struggle to secure housing and are more vulnerable to scams. They are frequently asked to pay several months rent in advance or are forced into unsuitable or exploitative arrangements. This was evidenced over the weekend when 18 international students were found living in two-bed accommodation. That is what happens when we do not have purpose-built student accommodation. We are abandoning our students to the private rental market. This not only harms individual students but also damages Ireland's international reputation as a welcoming destination for higher education.

The consequence overall is not only financial strain, but also serious impacts on well-being and educational outcomes. Students who work full time to afford rent or who are commuting are unable to devote time to study, undermining their academic performance, their mental health and their ability to engage with the student and campus experience. Some are faced with deferring their studies altogether or withdrawing entirely. They are undermined because suitable accommodation cannot be found.

The challenges are clear but so are the solutions. We need significant public investment in student accommodation. Publicly owned affordable housing on or near campuses must become the norm and not the exception. Affordability must be addressed. Rent caps for purpose-built student accommodation should be introduced alongside affordable rents benchmarked to income and not market trends. With RPZ changes and students being a transient housing group, the cost for tenancy changeovers will hurt private student renters the most. Regulation is essential. We need digs-style accommodation to be regulated and protected for students if we are to provide a tax credit for it. International students must be supported. Institutions should be required to provide clear accommodation guidance and safeguards should be put in place to prevent exploitation.

The message from students is clear. The accommodation crisis is hurting access to education, damaging well-being, destroying the student experience and undermining Ireland's future talent pipeline. If we are serious about building an equitable and world-class education system, this issue must be addressed with urgency. On behalf of students, we urge investment in public student housing to ensure that no student is priced out of learning.

Laura Harmon (Labour)
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I welcome everyone. It is great to see AMLÉ here today and representatives from the students' unions from all across the country. My Wi-Fi is down so my notes are not in front of me but I know the issue quite well. Over ten years ago, I was president of the Union of Students in Ireland, which is now known as AMLÉ. Student accommodation was in crisis then and is in even more of a crisis now. The current situation was predictable and preventable and, unfortunately, the crisis is exacerbated and affects students and families. Student poverty is a real issue. It is important that student poverty be named in light of the cost-of-living crisis that we have at the minute, as well as the rising costs of rent all across the country and the lack of rental protections.

Last night, I read the statement of Mr. Alex Angland, the president of the UCC students' union. I live in Cork and went to college there. Having read the statement, it is quite stark that UCC has the lowest level of purpose-built student accommodation in the country at just 18%. That percentage is much lower than what is available in the cities of Dublin, Limerick and Galway, whose percentages are not anywhere near sufficient either. We also know that rents have risen nationally by 10% in recent times. This all means that students are under pressure.

In some instances there has been an over-reliance on the rent-a-room relief scheme. It is a brilliant scheme that has been used to good effect and promoted. Certainly, families and those wanting to rent out a room have benefited from the scheme. Over the years, however, it has been used as a Band-Aid to solve accommodation issues when in reality we need to build more.

I agree with the call made by the students' unions for greater provision for the technological universities to be able to borrow to acquire land and build their own purpose-built accommodation. We have engaged with the Minister on student accommodation, so I know that a strategy is being finalised. It is urgently needed. There also needs to be more collaboration between the Department of housing and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

I will refer to another figure. Last year, the UCC students' union conducted a survey that found that over a quarter of students had gone to class hungry. That highlights the issue of student poverty.

In my previous role, I worked with international students. They are quite vulnerable because they cannot avail of the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. digs option. We know of another issue that affects many vulnerable people in this country, including students. I refer to the advertisements we are seeing that proposition people in terms of sex for rent. Earlier this year, I introduced legislation to tackle this issue. We know that 5% of international women students have seen these ads and are being propositioned directly. That is extremely worrying and shows the shadowy underbelly of this housing crisis and how it affects the most vulnerable and students.

Mr. O'Mahony outlined the issue of student accommodation in his opening statement. What does he think really needs to happen in the upcoming budget to help students in terms of accommodation and more broadly?

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

In terms of the upcoming budget, it is quite clear that we need significant investment in purpose-built student accommodation. Even if we start building today, it is not going to be built by tomorrow and will take time. The longer we have waited to build purpose-built student accommodation, the longer accommodation issues have gone on.

Students are being costed out of education in terms of the cost of the contribution charge and the potential of that rising. There is also unsuitable and unaffordable accommodation. Education needs to be put first and made a priority. A 2024 OECD report on education analysed 31 countries and Ireland was at the bottom of the list in terms of investment in higher education. Therefore, we need to ensure higher education is a priority and students are looked after.

We keep talking about the brain drain but if we are not looking after our students, how can we not expect them to leave?

Laura Harmon (Labour)
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I thank Mr. O’Mahony. I might direct a question to Mr. Alex Angland from UCC students’ union. On the issue of student poverty, what does he think needs to be done in terms of affordability, not just for accommodation but in general?

Mr. Alex Angland:

As I said in my speech, accommodation is the biggest challenge. It is the highest price students have to pay. We see costs of €6,000 or €7,000 in campus-owned accommodation versus €12,000 commonly in private accommodation. One provider charged €18,000 for the academic year for a single room last year.

The expansion of the SUSI scheme would help a lot of students. Fees are naturally the second biggest charge. If students are expected to pay €2,000 or €3,000 on top of accommodation costs, the cost of living, textbooks and so many other charges that we see, then the more students who can avail of the scheme by raising those thresholds will cancel out anyone who is falling through the cracks.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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The witnesses are very welcome. I thank them very much. A lot of my speech will probably concur with my colleague, Senator Laura Harmon. I compliment Senator Harmon on the role she has played in the USI over many years, the advice she has given me in this area and the legislation she brought in with regard to sex for rent. It is really complementary and something I know Senator Harmon is extremely proud of, obviously. As a party, not to be partisan about it, we are extremely proud to stand over legislation like this.

This is an opportunity to absolutely call out successive governments for their failure and inaction on housing and student accommodation in particular. It gives us and the witnesses an opportunity to hold the Government and the Minister to account on this. The Minister appeared before this committee on the issue of student accommodation. His answers were extremely vague. I am not going to go into the Minister because he is not here to represent himself. It is not for the want of trying from every side of the House regarding student accommodation and the significant costs students face.

Previous to the general election in 2024, Senator Harmon, our party leader, Deputy Ivana Bacik, and I met with UCC students’ union. While there were a number of things, one thing that stood out to me in particular, and something which I wish to put on the record of this committee, is that there was a student travelling from Sligo every single day. Two of those days every week he was actually sleeping in his car because he could not access student accommodation due to the lack of accommodation and affordability of same. It is important to put that on the record. That is something the witnesses are seeing every single day of the week across all of the colleges and AMLÉ.

Mr. Angland has provided a good example of how we could tackle the student poverty situation through the expansion of the SUSI scheme. I put it on the record of the Dáil and I will put it on the record of this committee that if it was not for the SUSI scheme, I would not have had access to third level education. That is a fact. It is a fact for the majority of students across this country. A total of 80% of students in this country do not have full access to the SUSI scheme. That is a serious issue. It is Government inaction once again. It is fundamentally the case that this country and State are putting economic barriers before young adults trying to access third level education. There should be no economic barriers to third level education in any country in the world, particularly in one of the richest countries in the world. That is my fundamental belief. I completely call out the successive governments which for many years have failed in taking away those economic barriers to third level education.

There are a couple of things that any of the witnesses can answer. My first question, which is probably going to be a short one, is whether there has been significant engagement between the USI and the Department regarding the concerns the witnesses have and any budgetary proposals they have proposed to Government for the upcoming budget.

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

When we look at the proposed changes relating to SUSI and raising thresholds, we are not really getting to the main changes that need to happen with SUSI in respect of students facing estrangement. They are the ones who are always being left behind when it comes to SUSI. No matter how many thresholds we increase, they will still be forgotten by the system. We have students who may be financially or contact estranged from their families. They cannot get court letters because maybe it did not go to the courts. It may have happened after they turned 18 and did not happen with regards to Tusla. Every year, we are told that SUSI is now increasing how many different letters and how many different details it will take that will make students pass through the estrangement loopholes, but they are not there. Every year we have the same things: a court letter or Tusla. These students are being failed. I have had these students in my office crying and breaking down. We are trying to send them to St. Vincent de Paul to try to get that education bursary instead. The fact is I have to send them to someone else because the State is failing them. Consistently over the years we have always brought up estrangement, but we still see no feasible change for students facing estrangement in getting their third level education supported by the State.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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As Mr. O'Mahony referenced - this is extremely important and it comes across all our desks - family dynamics across this country are extremely different. The fact that students have to go to a solicitor to go through a court process to try to access available funding once again reminds students across this country where they stand, if they have to rely on a grant to let them access third level education. As a policymaker, it is embarrassing and emotionally upsetting that I have families and individuals coming to my constituency office who place economic barriers before their education. It is fundamentally wrong. Before I came to this House, I was a secondary school teacher. I promoted apprenticeships, third level education and further education. I taught in a very poor socioeconomic area. I saw students sitting in front of me telling me, "Sir, there is no hope of me going on to further education because my family cannot afford it." That is a fact.

What are the witnesses' personal assessments of Government action on accommodation and affordability for students since the beginning of this Dáil term?

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

When the Government came in, we saw that the programme for Government was developed. One of the things was the long-term reduction of fees towards their abolition. The first thing we heard, when it came to it, was that fees were going up. What was promised and what is being done are two very different things. It is all good to talk the talk but you must walk the walk and show it. If the first action towards the reduction of fees is to raise the fees, there is an issue.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I want to ensure we all keep on the student accommodation issue. We will have a very needed SUSI conversation within the committee, but we want to come out of this meeting with solutions and with the problems made very clear. I want to make sure we stay on affordability, but most definitely on student accommodation because we have a huge problem there. SUSI is most definitely an issue but I want to make sure that we stay on the topic.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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While I am happy to see the witnesses here, it is such a shame that they have to come in. I hope people are listening. I hope the Government is listening because what the organisations are hearing on the ground needs to be heard and needs to be actioned on. Over the summer, I have had horrendous phone calls from people. I have even had parents coming into my office to say they are actively trying to persuade their children not to go to third level education because they are embarrassed that they cannot afford it. That is shocking. It is shocking that we have that. I also met those 18 students who were spoken of. We will not say where they were, but they were put into conditions where they were unknown to each other. Eighteen of them landed at a house together with their suitcases. What I saw was disgusting. The fact is it was falsely advertised because the advertisement told them they would be sharing with three other people. That was a false advertisement. They are international students who do not have local knowledge and do not have anyone to go back to. It was the neighbours who contacted people to say that this was happening.

I got an email from DCU regarding the press release that went out.

DCU is trying to say that the cost of services and utilities reflects market conditions and they are separate. It also says that, in the past 18 months, the cost of gas has risen by 42%, the cost of electricity has risen by 82% and the cost of maintenance has increased by 30%. They are shockingly high figures, which are passed on to students. That situation needs to be called out.

A dedicated student accommodation unit has been established to help this year. Personally, I do not think the unit is up to scratch in terms of what it is supposed to do. On the short-term measures that have been introduced, spending €100 million and only 116 beds being delivered so far is also not good enough.

There seems to be a push for people to go more into digs with a tax break of up to €14,000. This measure is pricing out some ordinary landlords. My colleague, Mairéad Farrell, tabled digs regulations. I will bring this issue up again because I do not believe that licences are good enough. We need to protect students. Students should be able to attend third level education with a positive outcome and not be made to feel that they are in a house, cannot use a washing machine and have to be home at a certain time, missing out on the social aspect of student life.

The National Youth Council of Ireland conducted a survey that revealed that two thirds of 18-to-24-year-olds did not believe they had a future in Ireland. What do our guests think of that statistic? Do people report the same issues to the students' unions present?

I have read all of the statements. What is good about their statements is that they do not just outline complaints and what is wrong but also give solutions, which must be brought forward and examined. That is something that my party will continue to push for.

The inequity regarding TUS is something that my party will raise. I cannot understand why a technological university cannot borrow because being able to would help.

We have already spoken about the expansion of SUSI, which is a topic of discussion for another meeting.

The HEA is working on an outdated accommodation policy that dates from 2015, so we need a new policy up and running.

The consideration of new student accommodation seems to be looking at smaller units and shared units like dormitories. Has that approach been fully agreed with students' unions? Will it help solve the issues?

I believe that new student accommodation must be publicly owned.

Mr. Alex Angland:

The initiative could potentially work in some colleges. For universities in larger cities where the summer rental market is so important in terms of being able to reduce the cost for students during the academic year, one needs single rooms with en suite bathrooms. As I said, the summer rental market subsidises the cost for students during the year. For some colleges, like UCC, UCD and the University of Galway, that initiative would not be the ideal system.

Mr. Emil Kindl:

I agree. We need a mix of everything. On the HEA forums, when the universal plans for student accommodation were being developed, people did not care on how the accommodation would look and just wanted something to be built. It was supposed to be a forum where there were discussions and solutions. It was so fired up that people did not care whether the solution was this or that. They just wanted a solution. They wanted a shower in the ground and for something to be built. Tackling this issue is very urgent but still we should take a look at all the opportunities and mix everything.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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I thank all our guests for coming here and for all their work. It is shameful that this is an annual part of the political and media calendar, in that from the perspectives of our guests and the people who work in the unions, this is just a thing that they know. Not only do our guests have to advocate on the issue, but they must go out and appeal for anyone to put forward beds. This issue has gone on for well over a decade.

It gets worse. It is shameful.

I have a question for whichever witness wants to answer it. Do the witnesses think student accommodation is an afterthought for the Government? It was striking that when it came out with the new proposals around the rent pressure zone legislation, the Government genuinely seemed not to have thought about what impact they would have because, if a person had a new tenancy, rents could be reset every time. A significant proportion of students are on nine- or ten-month tenancies and are therefore faced with increases. Is this the witnesses' general impression? Has there been more interaction with the Department of housing and the Minister in relation to that issue? We got mixed signals. We were initially given the very clear line that there would be no exceptions made for students, but now there is talk about some sort of exception being made for them or something new coming in the legislation. Do the witnesses have any more information about this? Is it something students are fearful of?

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

It feels to us like it was not thought about. There was talk that publicly and privately built student accommodation could be looked after. However, when we looked at the private rental scheme, it appeared that students going into houses would not be protected. It is more or less assured that they will not be protected and that because there is no way to bring it in and track it properly, it is not worth investigating.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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Student unions have received no assurances. Student accommodation in the likes of UCD or wherever may be excluded and not have rent resets every year, but a student renting a flat in Rathmines is going to be hit with regular increases if he or she changes accommodation every year. Is that Mr. O'Mahony's understanding?

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

Yes.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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I have a question relating to UCD's student union. I was struck by the charging for utilities. There are certain limits regarding what the university can do with rent, so instead it is charging for utilities. Why do the witnesses think it is doing this? Is this a way of circumventing the freeze on rents while also making up for a lack of necessary funding for the university?

Mr. Michael Roche:

Yes. I have been pretty clear about my charge with the university in relation to this. UCD had a history of increasing rents at the 2% level each year in line with the rent pressure zone regulations. For the first time, however, it introduced a new utility charge last year similar to the one in DCU that has been referenced.

From my own perspective, what this seems to be is a way of increasing revenue through the back door outside the rent pressure zone restrictions. I am not sure if this relates to inflation and a lack of public funding and I do not have the answers to hand. When I have raised the matter, it has fallen on deaf ears. This situation is problematic. UCD students already pay the highest level of rent in the country. This is an extra hit that we did not expect and something that we were not consulted on. It also has not been mentioned to us since we have taken up our roles in the union. We have been pushing the matter. It is extremely problematic on that level.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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One of the impacts of the accommodation crisis is students having to drop out. They apply through the CAO, get their places and are delighted. They then start to look for accommodation. Some may start their courses while still commuting an unviable distance until they realise that this is not going to happen. Do the witnesses have any figures at a national or college level about the dropout rates linked to the student accommodation crisis? Has there been an increase in dropouts over the past ten years or so as the housing crisis has got worse?

Mr. Michael Roche:

What we have found in UCD is that students tend not to drop out of their courses. What they tend to do is impoverish themselves to continue their degrees. This is generally due to pressure from home to continue, as well as internal pressure to put themselves in a better economic circumstance than the one they are in. I have reported that the situation is sadder than a student dropping out. What students find is that they will experience food poverty. UCD launched a food pantry for the first time this year. This is a step that we did not necessarily want to take, but we feel that, based on our research, there is a demand for it. It is something that we will offer students this year.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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Related to that, the cost of accommodation puts a huge pressure on students to work. I think most people would be okay with a little amount of work happening on the side. However, the figures for UCC, for example, show that 60% of students are working outside their full-time study, with one-in-five working more 20 hours per week. I presume this has an impact on their academic lives, but also their social lives. They are effectively in college or working all the time.

As was noted, more than 25% of those working students are earning below the minimum wage. Is that legally earning below the minimum wage with the sub-minimum rates for under-20s, or is it being paid cash in hand, illegally under the minimum wage, or a mixture of both?

Mr. Alex Angland:

My impression is there is a mix there. The majority of that would be legal, as the Deputy said, but it just goes to show how difficult it is for students to support themselves if, when they are going out to work and trying their best, they may be working 20 hours a week but still are earning below the minimum wage. They work more hours than somebody who is older would have to. As Mr. Roche said, students do not want to drop out. As that is the last thing they want, they will impoverish themselves. They will forego food, forego meals, skimp out on any possible expenses, renege on many of the opportunities that are given on the social side of university life and end up working 20 hours a week, sometimes even 30 hours.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Is Deputy O'Connell available? If not we will move to the next speaker. Is the Deputy in the confines of Leinster House?

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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No, I am not. I will not ask my questions. I thank the Cathaoirleach.

Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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I thank our witnesses for their presentations.

It is such a different landscape since I was in college from 1987 to 1990. It was easy then to come by accommodation even though it was not of great standard. I refer to the cost of it now. We had broken windows and it was a competition in the morning to see who would be able to hold out the longest without getting out of bed to turn off the alarm because it was so cold. It is completely different now. It was nothing compared to what it is now.

The issues are the cost, quality and quantity of student accommodation. I wish to focus on Mr. O'Mahony’s points on how exploitative it is for foreign students and domestic students. We mentioned the case of 18 students in a two-bed unit, as well as sex for sale. One in 20 international students are approached. I see a very greedy, privatised, exploitative model which exists in Ireland at the moment. I wonder are the unions strongly calling out the Government on this. There is a focus on international students. There was an article in The Irish Times this week, quoting Eurostat and KPMG. They were celebrating. They said there is a surge of 33% over the past four years in the number of international students, compared with a 5% increase in domestic students. They were celebrating this. They said it is one of the main drivers of economic growth.

The ratio of international versus domestic students in Ireland is almost two times the EU average. Our witnesses have outlined how exploitative it is. There are 40,400 international students and an estimated 128,000 are studying English-language courses as well. It is a privatised model. There are many people making a lot of money on it. There are many people getting exploited. The Government has a target for 2030. I am not sure if the unions are aware of this but it wants to increase the cohort of international students by a further 10%. This is reckless. It is absolutely ridiculous. It is exploitative and causing division. Are unions questioning the wisdom of this approach? It is really the elephant in the room. Those with a privatised model want to bring in more and more students and I can see the benefit. Obviously, they are making a lot of money. Many students are getting exploited. It is obviously causing huge competition. It is not quantum physics, it is pretty basic supply and demand. It is purely down to Government policy that it has not provided the accommodation and that is the core of the problem. Is it wise to bring in a further 10% of students if the existing cohort is not getting accommodated? As our witnesses mentioned, there is a case of 18 students to a two-bedroom unit.

Are the unions challenging the Government on this approach and the wisdom of bringing in more students when they cannot cater for existing domestic and international students? It is a reckless policy by the Government. Our committee should be questioning that to say it is ridiculous to be asking to bring in 10% more, which obviously comes from a private investor point of view. I also realise some of the international students are being charged fees ranging from €15,000 or €20,000 to €30,000. From an investors’ point of view, this is fantastic. From a Government point of view, it thinks it is fantastic. In the context of student accommodation, however, it is reckless and ridiculous. Are the witnesses in agreement? Have they challenged the Government on this aspect?

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

Whenever we are looking at trying to increase the demand, any country would want students to come to study in their country. That is only quite natural. With regard to increasing class sizes, we have seen over the years an increased demand for, say, veterinarian courses. Those courses are now being increased, with new courses being brought across to Atlantic Technological University, ATU, and the South East Technological University, SETU. If we are trying to increase class sizes, we need to make sure we are increasing the supports available for those students, such as increasing the accommodation supply. Where we are trying to increase our market, we should make sure we are not just chasing students for more money. If we are going to get more students to study in our colleges in Ireland, we need to make sure they are being looked after. Courses sizes cannot be increased without increasing the supports for students.

Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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Do the witnesses disagree with the strategy of those who believe in the privatised model and want a further 10%? Do they think that is wise in the present situation? Realistically, the accommodation will not be provided. It is going to make a really bad situation much worse for everyone. Do they question the wisdom of that approach?

Mr. Alex Angland:

There are definitely dangers in taking in greater numbers of international students. We have seen what happened with the University of Aberdeen in Scotland recently. What is happening with the colleges is that they are being incentivised to take in more and more students to be used as, essentially, cash cows. We saw from the Cassells report that there is a €300 million deficit in core funding across the university sector. International students have been used as a method to try to make up this deficit. As the Deputy said, Government policy is incentivising universities and colleges to take these actions.

Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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Spot on. That is it. They are not getting properly funded so they are going to be taking the low-hanging fruit. This is the easy option but by doing that, they are actually making a dreadful situation ten times worse. If they aim for the 10% increase by 2030, God only knows what the repercussions are going to be. It is going to be disastrous for everyone.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank our guests and witnesses for their presentations today. The clear message from all of them is that we need significant Government investment in accommodation. None of us disagree with that. As one of the witnesses said, unfortunately, that does not happen overnight. It takes some years to get those places and beds, literally, in place. All of us know of the pressures on students and families seeking accommodation at this time of the year. We hear it from our constituencies and through family and friends practically everywhere, whether it is in Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Sligo or wherever. There seems to be pressure on every centre where there is a higher education institution nowadays, particularly in the more significant urban centres.

The Minister, Deputy Lawless, stated clearly at this committee, and I heard him state it in response to parliamentary questions as well, that student accommodation is a top priority for him. He indicated to us at that stage – it was some time ago – that he was open to meeting the aontas and also then with each student union. I hope he has an opportunity to engage with the unions because he emphasised strongly that he wanted to listen, act and work along with them. We all want to see progress being made in that regard.

Another issue the Minister, Deputy Lawless, referred to when he was before this committee, and again at parliamentary questions, was that he was clear that student beds must be for students. They have to be returned from other uses. They were built with financial incentives particularly for students and that is the use they should be put to. He also said at that time that there was a significant number of student accommodation under construction, maybe upwards of 2,000. Some have come online or will be available this year in Maynooth, while there is some more accommodation at UCD as well. We want to see more and more in each centre where there is a demand.

The witnesses have made the point that they are disappointed with the feedback from some people who availed of renting a room or digs. Fortunately, constituents and young people I know who have been renting a room or digs in various centres have all had good experiences. Renting a room and digs have always been a part of student accommodation. In my own days in UCD, the area around Kilmacud and Dundrum and back into Stillorgan had a huge number of students availing of accommodation with families, within walking distance of the Belfield campus. Maybe this kind of accommodation has dwindled in importance for some years but it has returned to being an important part of accommodation provision. There is a good incentive for families to take it up. I compliment the guests and the various student unions in this regard because I have myself seen students handing out flyers and advertising this accommodation, pointing out how it can be attractive for a homeowner or family to avail of renting out a room. However, none of us would be satisfied if there were undue restrictions in regard to facilities in the house or the times one can come and go. You are dealing with young adults and they should have the freedom to come and go as they want. They should not be restricted in accessing facilities within a home.

I agree entirely that more Government investment is needed. From what the Minister, Deputy Lawless, has said to us and from having listened to him internally within our own party, I note he has strong views on the provision of additional accommodation by the State.

One witness mentioned the divergence between the traditional universities and the technological universities regarding the borrowing framework. That anomaly needs to be removed. Technological universities are higher education institutions and should have the same access to borrowing as traditional universities have had. The last time I queried this, the response I was given was that the technological sector student accommodation programme is currently progressing through the infrastructure guidelines process, which includes a strategic assessment and preliminary business case. I sincerely hope that whatever preparatory work has to be done to enable the technological universities to borrow on the same terms as traditional universities will be progressed as quickly as possible.

With regard to the presentation with regard to Atlantic Technological University, has all the accommodation in Sligo not been returned to student use? Traditionally, some students from the west of my county, Cavan, went to Sligo. Some had expected to be going into student accommodation but it was not available at the beginning of the term. We had a clear understanding – I did anyway – that all student accommodation was to be returned for student use for this academic year. Could I get clarification on that?

Mr. Emil Kindl:

I will give clarification on that. In 2023, Benbulben and Milligan Court – two of the purpose-built accommodation complexes in Sligo, and privately owned, needless to say – were repurposed to house temporary beneficiaries. They did not come back. I believe Milligan Court still houses temporary beneficiaries. Benbulben had some issues with planning permissions, I believe, so it is vacant. I believe there are a few council houses but it not being utilised. We also have a complex called Clarion Village. There are eight blocks in it, two of which were repurposed for temporary beneficiaries. Right now, this year, those two blocks are going back to students; however, officially in the planning they are not purpose-built accommodation any more. Therefore six blocks are priced at, let us say, €450 per month, whereas the two blocks without purpose-built status are now almost €900 per month. It is the same accommodation in the same complex, but there was a possibility to raise the rent. So, the answer is "No". While Clarion Village has gone back to students, rent has doubled.

Benbulben is pretty much vacant, while Milligan Court is being used to house temporary beneficiaries.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Perhaps we could raise that with the Department. I am sure my colleague Deputy Feighan, who represents Sligo and Leitrim, is familiar with the situation in Sligo, but it is one that all of us would be glad to raise with the Minister.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely. Senator Tully is next.

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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Our guests are all very welcome. It is great to have five presidents in one room. I commend them all on the good work they do. I read their statements. There is a lot of commonality across them around the issues that they have identified. I am hearing that we have almost reached a situation where young people are choosing their course based on where they think they might get accommodation, which is not what it should be about at all. They should be choosing the course they feel is most suited to what they want to pursue in life. I had a conversation with a parent recently who pointed out that UCD has the most accommodation, so I am somewhat dismayed by Mr. Roche's report on the condition of that accommodation. Some of it is in quite poor condition. I ask him to expand on the tiered system that he spoke about. I am also very alarmed at something he said about the €67.7 million of taxpayer's money being invested in new accommodation. That is great; it is welcome. We need to see investment, but is Mr. Roche saying that it is costing €250,000 per bedroom? Are they gold-plated rooms? That is ridiculous. Will he expand on that, because it is raising alarm bells with me regarding who is overseeing the building of this accommodation?

Mr. Michael Roche:

I will start with the tiered system of accommodation in the university. When the first phase of the village, which is a type of accommodation offered within the university, was completed, it was financed through private equity. During the fitting out of the building, the university began to offer rooms at silver, gold and platinum levels. Platinum was penthouse level, so if a student was assigned to a higher floor, he or she was charged more. The point that I have continually made is that in May, a design guide for State-sponsored student accommodation was released which did not specifically mention banning tiered systems of accommodation like those we currently have in the university. As the second phase of the village begins, with nearly €70 million of taxpayer's money, we have no guarantee that there is not going to be a penthouse financed by the taxpayer within that accommodation. Frankly, it is farcical.

The situation within UCD is quite difficult. We have the most accommodation but we also have the most expensive accommodation, and the condition of it can be quite problematic. We have students coming to us - and I made it a feature of my campaign - who have issues with black mould in their accommodation in the university. We have also seen rodents, both mice and rats, around the accommodation. I have a video of a personal friend of mine and me trying to sweep a mouse out of the house. If committee members would find that enlightening, I can send it on to them. It is a deteriorating situation within the university. We have no guarantees regarding the second phase of the village, despite the €70 million in taxpayer funding.

Regarding the cost, it is a partnership between the university and the Government. The university is paying roughly half and the Government is paying the other half, but €250,000 per bedroom on land one already owns is simply ridiculous in my estimation.

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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Thanks very much. We want to see increased investment, and all of our guests have called for that, but we want that investment used sensibly to create purpose-built accommodation for students that is of a good standard. It does not need to be suite standard. Ms Hall said that in Galway there are only 1,800 beds for 20,000 students. Has the number always been that low? The University of Galway is lovely. It is a place that students have always flocked to, and I would have thought there was more accommodation than that available there. Are there plans to expand?

Ms Maisie Hall:

That figure refers to the purpose-built on-campus accommodation. Off campus there is more purpose-built accommodation. When we add all the units up, however, we still only get to around 4,000. That includes everything that could possibly be considered purpose built. It has not always been like that; it has been worse. We have just had the accommodation at Dunlin built.

I categorise that as luxury accommodation. All of the units are double-bed units and have en suites. All of them are way up towards the €800 mark for accommodation. They are not affordable for students. Whether those beds on campus can even be included in the tally of beds available to students is ridiculous.

As I said, Airbnb is just getting worse and worse. At the start of the year, the city council stated it had received 24 applications, only nine of which it approved. Yet, over 1,000 registered properties are still on the Airbnb website, which makes no sense. What is the point in having legislation to regulate these if they are not being regulated?

There was a comment about digs. There is no point in arguing against digs continuing to be a part of student accommodation, but what we are seeing is a change from that being a choice. In the past, students were able to decide whether digs suited them. I will not argue with that. I have so many fabulous stories from students who are in digs. The landlady of my vice-president for education bakes her a cake, but we also hear all these horror stories. Students have no choice at this point. We are not saying, "Oh, maybe you will rent a room. It is beneficial for you". We are saying, "Please rent out a room" because students are being left with no choice.

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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The witnesses have all been very strong on the need for regulation of digs. That absolutely needs to happen. As was said, some people have brilliant experiences and others have horrendous ones.

Mr. Kindl talked about the repurposing of student accommodation in Sligo. I heard from students in County Cavan, where I am from, about the loss of student accommodation a few years ago, when there was an attempt to reinvent it. I hear that different investors who have received permission to construct student accommodation and charge extremely high rents then make the argument there is no demand and look for a change of planning or a change of use, which have been granted. Again, we need to see that stopped as well. Did Mr. Kindl say in reply to Deputy Smith that some of that accommodation is coming back into student use?

Mr. Emil Kindl:

Yes. Two blocks at Clarion Village are coming back, but that does not take into account those 500 beds that were lost in Benbulben Court and Milligan Court. When we run the rent-a-room campaign, we are just getting to that level of what we lost, basically overnight. All our efforts are not building up to better conditions. They are just trying to fill up the gap that was created overnight. It is very problematic. We would like to see those units coming back.

We would also like to see protection for privately owned, purpose-built student accommodation in order that these cannot be repurposed that easily. It is important to say that the story with Benbulben and Milligan Court is, after that started happening, legislation was put in place that in order to repurpose a property it had to be vacant for one year. What property owners did was state, "one year vacant". How ridiculous that is. In order to repurpose, you say, "Okay, no problem. We will stay vacant for one year. We will not house anyone. We will create a crisis for students and then we will house." In the context of Government incentives, it is ridiculous that being vacant for one year is considered profitable. It is just ridiculous.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The witnesses are very welcome. I read their submissions. I thank them for their sometimes depressing but also very measured submissions.

I will outline where I am coming from. I am probably the only non-academic on this committee. I went to school in Boyle, County Roscommon. We had our 45th school reunion recently. This was the first one in 45 years, since we left in 1980. Ireland was a different place in 1980. Sixty young boys left that school. It certainly was not an Ivy League college, but I have great memories of it. It had great teachers and most of the guys I went to school with are very thankful and happy about the school they went to. There was no uniform at the time, but nobody went to university. Out of 60 people who left that school, three or four went to university. One went to Trinity, and we were absolutely delighted. We have come an awful long way in 45 years.

At the time anybody who got into university was very privileged and probably came from the professional class as a doctor's or lawyer's son, or was absolutely brilliant. We are in a much better place than when I was younger. At the time, people either went to university, went to the regional technical colleges of which Sligo was one, got a job in the public service, worked on the land, worked in a business or emigrated, and most people emigrated. I am really thankful to have normal, confident and intelligent people like the witnesses representing the future of our country.

I am very proud that the first university north of the Dublin-to-Galway line is in Sligo. I am very proud to have played a role in establishing the ATU and bringing in St. Angela's, where my wife is a lecturer, as part of the ATU. The witnesses outlined the accommodation issue. What happened with Milligan Court and Benbulben Court in Sligo was an absolute disgrace. The developer put the two fingers up to the local authority and to the ATU students, and got away with it despite every effort from a legal point of view and from a planning point of view. That should never be allowed to happen again. I pay tribute to the students union in ATU in Sligo whose campaign for the rent-a-room scheme has helped.

The witnesses are absolutely right that we need an extra 500 or 600 rooms. It is not just that. Sometimes we talk about perfection. I do not care who provides the rooms. Government needs a major involvement. I do not care if people make some money out of it, but we need student units. We have talked for a long time about bringing in what is perfection - we want this and we want that. I want good-quality accommodation which will help the housing crisis in towns like Sligo, Letterkenny and Athlone.

I thank the witnesses for giving their views today. They spoke about the end of the two-tier funding system. That is absolutely critical. The problem has built up over 20 or 30 years. I will not call it discrimination but, let us be honest, in third level education there is snobbery. The "Ivy League" colleges around the country, south of the Dublin-to-Galway line, still look at ATU Sligo as if it is not good enough.

I think legislation to protect digs and safeguard existing student housing is very important. We also need to accelerate the delivery. I do not care how it is done. Some people have different views on how it should be done, but I say "just bloody well do it".

I am going to get away from housing and mention something I am very angry about. I am very proud that ATU Sligo now has pharmacy and veterinary courses. However, about three days before the start of September, the pharmacy course in Sligo was announced. It makes one wonder what went on here. Did they make ATU Sligo go through the hoops here? I feel there is still a snobbery in third level education. However, I am very proud of the ATU in Sligo, Letterkenny and the north west, the first university north of the Dublin-to-Galway line. You never know, when I get out of politics, I might even do an adult education course.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Many questions were covered in the session. What should the target be considering the numbers of students we have? Obviously, not everybody will live in student accommodation while they are students. At the minute we have 49,000 beds and planning applications for a further 13,000. What is the target that we as a committee, the Government and the country should be looking at as a percentage of students?

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

Back in 2023, it was identified that the shortfall in rooms was 30,000. That was identified in 2023 and we are increasing in numbers as it is. We are increasing course sizes and trying to attract more international students, so I think that 30,000 probably is not even sufficient anymore.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Is there a generally accepted percentage, such as 10% or 20%, as a European norm?

Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

My European counterparts with whom I engage in the European Students Union have put out a survey to check how many vacancies they have with regard to purpose-built student accommodation rooms. They have almost too many. We need to come up to a level where we are meaningfully trying to supply for the student population we have.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely. Maybe it is a question we should ask ourselves. If we are looking towards a target and we do not have a right target, we should definitely get a figure.

Mr. Alex Angland:

For example, UCC has enough accommodation for less than 6% of its students. There are only 1,500 beds for 26,000 students. In our case, we need to double that at least. It is in UCC's strategic plan to deliver another 500 beds in the next few years but even that alone is not enough. We are falling so far behind. UCD has 4,000 and UL has 3,000. Other colleges have 2,400 and it is falling really far behind in Cork as well considering MTU has no purpose-built accommodation of its own.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely. We are very low with the target; I was wondering what the target could or would be.

Regarding the need for regulations for digs, the committee has accepted that we need bare-minimum guidelines, but regulations or legislation are by far what we most want. What would they look like? What sorts of regulations have the students' union engaged with their students on, and what would they want as part of those regulations?

Mr. Michael Roche:

I might come in here. UCD recently launched its annual digs drive and, thankfully, it was the most successful in our history. We created the most community housing that we ever had within the university itself so I want to give credit to my sabbatical officers for that achievement.

Digs are not an ideal solution but can help. When it works, it can work really well, particularly for elderly people who like the security of having a young person in their home - as comical as it may sound, that a student is a security guard. It can actually work when it is done right and it can build community as well, which is also important.

The other side of it, as has already been mentioned, is sex for rent. A student came to me who was unable to boil her kettle past 9 p.m. Then there is also the issue of occupancy on weekends, where students find they do not actually have the right of occupancy on the weekends. If someone is able to take advantage of the rent-a-room scheme for up to €14,000 annually, but that room is going to lay vacant for two days of the week, we must look at how that €14,000 is calculated on the basis of occupancy that is not necessarily there. Regulations around that certainly need to come in.

Regulations around sex for rent also need to come in. Then there are also the conditions when the student enters the home. It is obviously a negotiation when you are living with anyone but greater protections are needed. I do not know what form they would take. There probably needs to be a wider consultation on that. That is where are coming from in UCD anyway.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Mr. Roche. Those are my few wee questions. We could ask questions for hours but we will not.

I thank Mr. Kindl, Mr. Angland, Mr. O'Mahony, Ms Hall and Mr. Roche for their contributions today. We have all heard very clearly that there are huge challenges for students right across accommodation, the cost of living and so many other issues. The witnesses can hear from us as a committee that we take these concerns seriously. We are listening to them, which is why we have this as the subject of our first committee meeting on the first day of this Dáil term. It was a constructive meeting. We have had some solutions and a very positive airing of the problems.

What I take from this meeting and our previous student accommodation meeting is that availability, quality and cost are the three things we need to make sure we are driving home at all times. Yes, there has been small progress. As Mr. O'Mahony said, 30,000 units were needed some years ago.

It is about making sure the planning applications in the system for new student accommodation are built. I am hoping with the clear focus by the Department and the Minister, Deputy Lawless, the funding will come forth from the Department to ensure our universities and technological universities can actually deliver and look after our students to ensure they have a full educational experience. I learned just as much outside university as I did inside. It is a great thing and Deputy Feighan should definitely take an opportunity to take part in student life, maybe when he finishes political life.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I might.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the witnesses. We have come to the end of our public session and will now go into private session. Is that agreed? Agreed.