Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy and when colleges have accommodation, particularly when it is under their control, it should be an asset for the student body and not a revenue source. It must be part of the flexible solutions that must apply in how third level institutions are managed in this time. Where colleges have accommodation, they have been requested to try to show flexibility in its use; several of them are doing so and others are constrained by students having already booked accommodation. It would be desirable for private operators to show the same flexibility but it is not within the remit of the Department to issue an instruction for the market. I agree that where colleges can do so, we should be showing flexibility and that must be part of an overall solution.

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