Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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56. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline his strategy for addressing student accommodation ahead of the next academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15919/23]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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In this question I am asking the Minister to outline the strategy for addressing student accommodation ahead of the next academic year. What is he doing to ensure that students have accommodation and will be able to attend the college or university of their choice in September or October?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am actively working to address the supply of student accommodation. Indeed, that is probably an understatement. A unit has been established within my Department and there is really good engagement going on with both the traditional and the technological universities. We all know the challenges involved. The increasing costs of construction and financing are impacting on viability and as a result, a number of universities made decisions to pause accommodation projects. In response to these challenges, on 29 November last I received Government approval on both short- and medium-term policy responses. These are landmark policy responses because for the first time the State will provide financial support for the construction of student accommodation. It is right and proper that the State does this. The interesting question is why it had not been done before, in the history of our State. It is important that the State is much more hands on.

In the short term the Government has approved funding to support the development of 1,065 beds for students at the University of Limerick, Dublin City University, Maynooth University and the University of Galway. In addition to these, we are now working with University College Dublin, UCD, Trinity College Dublin, TCD, and University College Cork, UCC, on proposals they are bringing forward. It is interesting that the decision of 29 November seems to have whetted the appetite as well. These proposals are in addition to the 1,794 student accommodation beds delivered last year. A further 929 beds are due to open in Cork and Galway before the start of the next academic year in September.

In addition to this, I am also informed that there are 2,057 additional beds currently under construction through private developments. In addition to stimulating purpose-built student accommodation by higher education institutions, my Department is encouraging the bringing on stream of additional units through minor capital grants through the promotion and utilisation of the digs rent a room scheme, which I believe is working for more than 1,000 students. The recent extension to the rent a room scheme means income generated is now disregarded for social welfare and for student grant assessment purposes which was a change I committed to making as well. This week approval was given to disregard this income for medical card assessment purposes and also to allow local authority tenants to access the scheme.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the shift in Government policy in regard to investment in student accommodation. That is what we as a party have wanted for a long time. Will the Minister confirm that at the end of 2019, there were 28,414 student accommodation units registered with the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB? However, at the of 2021 that number was down to 21,681. That was a decline of 7,000 beds. How many student accommodation units are registered with the RTB for 2022? Those figures have not been made publicly available yet but we urgently need that information. Where have the 7,000 student beds gone? Student-specific accommodation was given €88 million in tax breaks by the Government since it came into power in 2011. They should not have been allowed simply to alter their use.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The RTB is not under my remit but I will seek that information. It is important to have that information. If I secure that information, I will share it with Deputy Conway-Walsh. From memory I know that my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, issued a circular in regard to ensuring that student accommodation was utilised for that purpose. There is possibly an issue that some private developments could now be used as part of the humanitarian response in regard to Ukraine but I will check that and come back to the Deputy with more information. We have seen a significant shift in policy because student accommodation does not just benefit students, it benefits the overall housing supply because it frees up accommodation rented by students in the private rental market. There is a double benefit to it. We have managed to unlock projects that were stuck and have been stuck for some time in Limerick, in Dublin City University, DCU, most recently, in Maynooth University and in University of Galway.

Within the technological university sector, which is of interest to the Deputy's constituency, we have now provided €1 million for that sector to bring in their experts. I was in the South East Technological University, in Waterford, this week. That is going to bring forward plans to deliver 500 beds in Waterford. Now that we have a model and a template I expect this to keep rolling in regard to Government interventions to get more projects over the line. We certainly will not be found wanting as those proposals come forward.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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The most important question is whether there is less or more student accommodation in the system. Sometimes from the way it is presented we give the impression that there is more but really there is less. When we look at the increase in the number of students, we have to recognise the issue that exists because this August and September will be the Minister's third year in the role. I do not want a situation where we do not have enough student accommodation.

The other issue I want the Minister to look at is the legislation around the room to rent scheme. We need to address the emergency we ran into last year but we have to look at legislation around that to ensure students are treated properly, that accommodation is up to standard and that the rules and regulations around that give a life to students that is conducive to their learning environment. I heard some anecdotal evidence that is not how it is presented at the moment. Will the Minister look at that legislation?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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What I have responsibility for is the higher education sector, the actual direct college-owned student accommodation. There is more of that this year than there was last year, which had more than the year before that. There is more now than there was before I entered office. On the purpose-built student accommodation piece, the Deputy’s point about the private market is not an unreasonable or unimportant point, but I made the policy change because I do not believe student accommodation policy can be reliant on private builds, for a number of reasons. One of the reasons the Deputy highlighted was variability. Another reason is cost. The rent a room scheme seems to be working. I have heard real-life examples both from students and from people renting out the room. I want to make sure that students are protected. I do not want to do anything that might cause unintended consequences, particularly perhaps for an older person who has the spare room. I have heard people talking in the media who say they are likely to rent it out but if there is a lot of bureaucracy they will not. It is about getting that balance right. I know the Deputy shares that view. I will meet with student union bodies and Union of Students in Ireland to see if we can find a way forward on that.