Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question. Of course, our universities need to operate under the law, as does everybody else. We brought in rent pressure zones, RPZs, which universities are covered by. Any time it has ever been suggested to me that those rent pressure zones should be lifted or changed, or exemptions made for universities, I have not been supportive of it and that will continue to be the case. I am acutely aware of the difficulty faced by students regarding the affordable supply of student accommodation. I outlined to the House some of the steps we are taking to try to develop more student accommodation.

To be self-critical, we have relied on the private market for too long. We have also relied on universities to use their own resources to build student accommodation. We are now getting involved in a very direct way in that €61 million of taxpayers' money was pledged in November to build 1,100 student accommodation units.

In return for us investing that, we have demands around affordability. That gives us a lever that we quite frankly did not have when the State did not invest money before. We now see students going back to college, with 938 more student accommodation beds this September than last September. There are also 2,000 more private accommodation beds.

Higher education institutions that provide student-specific accommodation are under the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board. They must comply with the law of the land governing rent reviews. Legislation was introduced in this House in 2021 to cap rent increases at a maximum of 2% in RPZs, in circumstances where general inflation is at a higher level. The majority of our universities and colleges are located within RPZs and have to comply with relevant legislation regarding potential increases. I am trying to use the levers at my disposal to try to assist students by making sure that if there is any improvement or enhancement to the rent tax credit, students must benefit in relation to that.

We are also providing €440,000 to our universities specifically for any student who may find themselves in financial difficulty arising from their housing or student accommodation situation. That is a new measure we have put in place this year. We are also looking at how we can make improvements in relation to fees and grants in the budget in a couple of weeks’ time. I am aware of the law of the land in relation to the RPZs. I expect everyone to comply with that. Some universities have reduced the cost of rent. Some have increased it. Within those confines, I am trying to use the practical measures at my disposal to help students with the cost of living and the cost of accommodation.

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