Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. The Government absolutely acknowledges that we have a severe shortage of student accommodation across the country and that for very many students it is unaffordable while for others it is unavailable. There are many reasons for that. Some are long-standing, some relate to Covid and some relate to the big increase in the number of people attending third level education, which we all welcome. We have a student accommodation strategy that includes measures that have been implemented already such as caps of rent increases and a ban on accommodation providers charging very large lump sums but what is fundamentally required - and I agree with the Deputy on this - is the building of more purpose-built student accommodation on and near campuses. We are giving the universities and technological universities the authority to borrow to do that on a cost-rental basis. However, as the Taoiseach acknowledged, that will take some time.

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