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

I agree on the policy approach. It should have been done many years ago. However, I want to ensure all those units are affordable. I do not want X number of units to be delivered, only for many of them to be beyond the reach of students. We will be in a worse situation if we end up like that. The devil will be in the detail of the contracts and agreements signed between the HEIs and the Government. It is about meeting the needs of students and families, who are really suffering with the cost-of-living and housing crises, not about the needs of people who are trying to make money on the back of hard-pressed students and families. I therefore want to know how many units are affordable.

On delivery, if it is going to construction in 2023, we are looking at 2024 and 2025, which is quite a bit into the future. That is why there must be an absolute urgency around this to get the student accommodation situation addressed. People are concerned about the students who will be starting next September, never mind the ones who are in a really precarious situation this year.

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