Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that the Government is not opposing the Bill and I commend my colleague, Deputy Eoin Ó Broin, on bringing it forward. Exemptions for developers is the hallmark of successive Governments’ approach to housing. We have seen it when it comes to delays in banning co-living and the stamp duty exemption for long-term leases and apartments. Most recently, we have seen purpose-built student accommodation being given planning permission to be converted into tourist accommodation in the midst of a student housing crisis. Large student accommodation complexes have been given permission to operate as tourist accommodation on the bogus claim that there is not enough demand for them, yet we see that thousands of students all over the country cannot get fit-for-purpose affordable accommodation. The reality is most students cannot afford to live in high-end, purpose-built student accommodation and these landlords are unwilling to lower the rent.

Exemptions for developers and large-scale landlords have led to a situation where they have been allowed to take hundreds, if not thousands, of student beds out of the system. It is completely wrong. It seems to be beyond Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to even imagine a situation where a landlord or developer should lower the rent if they can get tenants at the extortionate rates they are charging. Now, we have students staying in hotels, hostels and student accommodation that is not fit for purpose.

The profit margins of developers and institutional landlords could be protected. We need a new strategy for student accommodation that has affordability and public ownership at its heart, and we need to increase the recurrent and capital funding for institutes of higher education to allow them to build on-campus accommodation. We need to end the conversion of purpose-built student accommodation to tourist accommodation, and encourage colleges to strike a fair balance between attracting international students and meeting the needs of Irish students. That is why I and Sinn Féin will be supporting the Union of Students in Ireland this Thursday when they launch their “No Keys, No Degrees” campaign to draw attention to the current student accommodation crisis that has left thousands of students across Ireland struggling to secure accommodation.

This Government is completely out of touch with students, families and the wider society when it comes to accommodation for students and hard-pressed families. I ask the Minister to please take action now. We cannot have a hands-off approach to this.

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