Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

What I described is the reality in areas where there is a high density of student accommodation. We have the list of planning applications and they add up to 8,000. Who is the accommodation for? Students use student accommodation for possibly six months of the year. Who will avail of the space afterwards? It will be profit for the developer in the area. I take the Minister of State's point that it will move people out of private rented accommodation which will become available to others.

I am struck by the speed and urgency with which student accommodation has been going up. We do not see the same speed and urgency with the other type of housing that is needed. Student populations are transient and are coming into areas where there is already a transient population with private rented and hostel type accommodation, and it is not fair to the families and communities already living there. While I do not object to students partying, that is what they do in reality.

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