Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not know if the Taoiseach heard the voices of the thousands of students who last Thursday took part in a walk-out protest against the Government's failure to tackle the student accommodation crisis. I do not know if he heard their experiences of the impossibility of finding any accommodation, the real pressure of this cost-of-living crisis, impossible and crazy commutes for so many students and a feeling they are not getting the full educational experience they are entitled to. Last Thursday, students stood up not just for themselves but for the future of education in Ireland. They walked out to stand up, and fair play to them. On their behalf, I ask the Taoiseach when the Government will respond to this crisis, what it proposes to do and how it will invest in college accommodation, in particular, college-owned beds. The plans are there and what has been lacking so far have been the resources and political will.

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