Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The unfortunate reality is that the Minister, like her predecessor, has taken no action to address and introduce measures to improve the accommodation crisis facing students this summer. We had a crisis in 2013, another last summer and there is an even bigger crisis this year. Leaving certificate students are already in the cities, Dublin and Galway in particular where the crisis is most acute, scurrying around trying to find accommodation. Some have started to pay for their accommodation already so great is the fear that they will not be able to source accommodation later. While this has been happening under the nose of the Government, neither it nor the Minister has taken measures to deal with the issue. The Minister has referred to the fact that she has asked the HEA to put together a report. A report will not address the issue. This is a crisis of three years standing. In March the Minister indicated that the report she had requested would be available in April, but today she is telling us it is due in a few weeks time. Meanwhile, students are increasingly concerned as to whether they will be able to find accommodation and how on earth they will be able to afford to pay for it. Are there other measures the Minister could take at this belated stage to address the problem? At a minimum, will she try to ensure some steps are taken to ensure the crisis will not be even worse next year?

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