Dáil debates

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Residential Tenancies (Student Rents and Other Protections) (Covid-19) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

10:20 am

Photo of Réada CroninRéada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As a Deputy with Maynooth University in my constituency of north Kildare, I am very happy with what is being proposed here in this Private Members' Bill, PMB, from the USI.

Maynooth University plays such a huge role in my local community and in providing educational life opportunities across the State. Students in the State have paid a big price in their educational life, not to mention their social life, during this coronavirus pandemic. They have also been unable to get part-time employment to help subsidise their living costs during Covid-19.

Due to Government decisions and lack of decisions, lockdown became our sole defence against the virus. This has not made it easier on the students in Maynooth and in every college across the State. I have spoken to students in my home town of Maynooth who, on the promise of college attendance from the Government, found places to rent in the town yet did not attend a single lecture in the university throughout the year. These students and their families forked out outrageous rents for accommodation they did not even need. Many of them put themselves into debt.

This Bill will protect them in three thorny areas: the payment of rent in advance, notice and refunds. On rent in advance, it proposes a period of one month as opposed to a term or the full academic year which has been a massive burden on middle-income families who do not qualify for SUSI grants because of the half-baked assessment criteria.

Notice to leave would also be set down as 28 days, and refunds on deposits would be guaranteed. There has been untold worry and stress in families over the past year trying to get refunds on rents paid when students had to either come home early on account of Covid restrictions or not take up their place at all.

With Covid, life has been difficult for all of us, but it has been very difficult on students. People need protection when they are faced with this insecurity and it is the Government's duty to step up there. Sinn Féin is committed to protecting students and their families and this Bill does exactly that.

I commend my comrades, Deputy Conway-Walsh and Ó Broin, on working with the USI to bring forward this Bill and I call on everybody in the House to vote for it.

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