Dáil debates

Thursday, 11 November 2021

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Local Authorities

9:10 am

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am familiar with the proposal from St. Patrick’s College in Thurles. On Tuesday of this week, I had a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, to discuss several issues around student accommodation. Included in those discussions was the issue of how we might be able to assist in providing accommodation on the campus of St. Patrick’s College in Thurles. We met with senior officials and representatives from the area and we are progressing this project. I have asked the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to engage directly with the Housing Finance Agency in this regard. As the Deputy rightly said, we have a commitment to allow technological universities to borrow money for the construction of accommodation. A small bit of legal work is being done on that aspect to bring it to conclusion and that will be completed by the end of the year. The initial view is that St. Patrick’s College in Thurles could very well be able to access funds from the HFA now, and I will ask the representatives of the technological university to engage directly with officials of the HFA. We will be there to assist in any way we can, because there is a unique opportunity in Thurles to provide a significant amount of student accommodation in a short time. Everyone would welcome that, so we will do everything we can to help.

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