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

There was a problem with the Minister's predecessor who had a habit of making reannouncements. I have mentioned it before and I saw it regarding mental health supports and the funding for them - unfortunately, I cannot get the figure, although I tried to search for it - where there was an announcement as though it was extra, additional funding, but it was actually just the funding that was already baselined and already being used.

I take the figures the Minister is giving at the moment. However, I am just being honest with him when I say that there is currently just not enough for students and they are saying that very clearly. We know there are additional stresses at this time for many students, such as long commutes - anybody who has done a long commute can tell you how it impacts on mental health - and this is because they cannot access accommodation. I am really concerned about this because we need to have the supports in place. I hope the Minister can prioritise this and see what kind of supports can be put in place. If the Minister speaks to the students' unions, they will be able to tell him about this as well.

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