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

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I welcome that because it is an issue of huge concern among students. It is reflective of the wider housing crisis. The delivery of purpose-built student accommodation by large vulture funds is becoming mainstream and common, meaning many students are relying on it, so much so that vulture funds have more student beds in Dublin than all the Dublin universities combined. The same goes for Cork and I am concerned the same will be the case for Galway in time. For the joys of sleeping in a room that is the size of the average car parking space, students are paying over a grand a month.

As if that was not bad enough, now we are hearing about 51-week leases. Not only students but also parents have been in touch with me. They cannot pay the 39 weeks, which is the usual academic year; now they have to pay an entire calendar year. I welcome the progress and hope we can get this sorted before many people are caught in the trap of the 51-week lease.

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