Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to begin by welcoming the Government's support for this Bill and by commending colleagues and the USI on their work in relation to this.

Of course, this Bill is not only about removing the lump sum that parents and students are expected to pay at the beginning but also is about removing the barrier that is there. There should not be a student in this State who is unable to move to go to college because of the cost of accommodation. It has been a major issue for students, for their parents and for their families for many years. I welcome this Bill here today.

The large sums of money that parents and students are to pay upfront follow much sacrifice made by them in gathering that money together well ahead of the college year, and that has been a huge difficulty. I dealt with a student who is in NUI Galway. Last year, his parents paid €5,000 for his accommodation. The course went online, the accommodation was never used and the provider refused to pay a single red cent of that back. From speaking to colleagues and knowing the position of students in other colleges, the amount of €5,000 was quite low when compared to what other accommodation providers charge. It was difficult to have to go back to that family and say I was sorry that they were not going to get a refund of €5,000, knowing what they had sacrificed in order to make that money and to allow their son to get to college. We need to see an end to that. I remember the accommodation provider at that time telling me that Government had not restricted the use of student accommodation in the Covid restrictions and, therefore, the accommodation could be used. It was ridiculous.

In the past, it was sometimes the case that one might go into student-specific accommodation in the first year and then one would go into private rental accommodation for the second, third and four years if that was the case. Now that is even limited because of the cost of rent and the lack of availability, and students are staying in student-specific accommodation for longer.

It is so important that we have clarity for the students who will, hopefully, be going to college in September. These accommodation costs are looked for ahead of September and we need clarity for these students and their parents in order that they are not put in a position where they will lose thousands of euro.

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