Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is just a statement of fact that there is nowhere near the necessary accommodation to meet demand. The accommodation that is available is not in any way affordable to people. The Minister talked about his experience of being in digs in the city of Cork. In my college experience in the city of Dublin 25 years ago, it was digs, private rented and shared accommodation, all on a maintenance grant. There is not a snowball's chance in hell that you could afford that in 2024. On the issue of affordability, to play around with numbers and re-present the same figures as the Minister's predecessor has done time and again is simply unacceptable. We need to see progress on this. I accept the point about the upcoming legislation. I am sure we on this side of the House and colleagues will engage with that. We need to see these issues progressed and addressed rapidly.

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