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

Students protested outside Leinster House just days before the budget because the cost of student accommodation is at an all-time high. When we hear about people paying the likes of €12,000 for student accommodation, we know something has gone terribly wrong. Affordability is the crux of the issue.

We are seeing high-end accommodation coming on stream. Students are saying they do not need this kind of high-end accommodation and cannot afford this kind of high-end student accommodation. Students are having to commute long, crazy distances to try to get to college. To be perfectly honest, I cannot even imagine the impact that level of stress and strain is having on the dropout rate. Will the Minister also clarify when the student accommodation strategy will be published because students are waiting to see that published?

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