Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The reality is that the cost of student accommodation is totally beyond the reach of many families. The issue here is that this is locking more young people out of access to third level education. We see that and hear it from our students' unions consistently. We also hear it when we are speaking to students. Yesterday, I was in UCD and I was told by one student that he is commuting from Cavan every day and spends many hours commuting as a result. In 2018, the Government had a report stating that by 2024, we would need an additional 21,000 student beds. Now we have learned from the Department again that current demand for student accommodation is over 30,000.

It is glaringly obvious that the Government is failing on the housing crisis in general. That is having an impact on students that exactly mirrors the wider housing crisis. I spoke to students across Dublin yesterday who told me that the cost of student accommodation is as high as €12,000. Who can afford that?

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