Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, I thank the staff in SUSI. They are doing an enormous job and they are under great pressure this year. They have got on top of their game in the last number of years and they do excellent work. I also welcome the leaving certificate results. Everybody involved with that, including the Minister, Deputy Foley, all the staff, families, students and schools, worked together and put their shoulders to the wheel. It was a good outcome.

Covid-19 has changed the issues in the third level sector and those facing families with third level students. The scandalous position students and their families were put in from last March must not be repeated in terms of their lack of protection from unscrupulous accommodation providers. Unfortunately, they exist. The failure of accommodation providers to issue refunds was scandalous. I know that the Department providers did provide refunds, but some private providers did not. That is totally unfair to hard-pressed families. It puts awful pressure on the students and parents. In August, tens of thousands of students and their families were put under pressure to pay the deposit and three months rent up-front. That is shocking in the middle of Covid with people out of work and everything else. Indeed, some colleges told students that they would be on campus and that everything would be working. That was wrong and they should not have done so. They were not available and they should not have given that misleading information. The students clearly were not able to be on campus.

See this speech in context