Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills research, innovation and science the details of the missed targets in the last accommodation strategy; the reason this occurred; the reason no mention was made of this in budget 2026; the targets currently; and if new funding will be put in place for same. [56421/25]

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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I looked through the budget documentation but found no mention of student accommodation, which was quite shocking to me. I still have not received information on why the shortfall in student accommodation has happened. The strategy missed it targets but there has been no explanation for this. It is no secret that there is a crisis for students and families who are currently in distress trying to find accommodation. I ask the Minister to outline the current targets and whether new funding will be allocated for this.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The strategy to which the Deputy refers is the National Student Accommodation Strategy 2017-2024, which was the first national strategy of its kind. The aims of that strategy were to meet rising student housing demand, ease pressure on the private rental market and, ultimately, increase the supply of purpose-built student accommodation, PBSA. Two key goals were set out, the first of which was to deliver 7,000 new PBSA beds by 2019. That goal was met. In fact, it was exceeded, with over 8,000 beds completed by the end of that year, or 1,000 beds ahead of the target. The second target was to add an additional 21,000 new PBSA beds to the existing stock of 33,500 by 2024. That target was 91% delivered. Roughly 49,000 beds were delivered out of a goal of approximately 54,000. The reasons for falling 9% short of the target include factors like Brexit, Covid, the Ukraine war, inflation, global supply chains and the Suez crisis. I do not think any of us would disagree that the years 2021 to 2023 were challenging for the entire economy but particularly for construction and supply chains. I looked into this issue myself and in the context of everything that happened in those years, achieving 91% of the target is not bad.

Looking forward, I am actively pursuing a new student accommodation strategy, which I hope to publish later this year, that will look at a number of items related to student accommodation. The Deputy asked why it was not mentioned in the budget speeches. I was surprised to hear that because in my own budget 2026 speech, I talked about additional moneys for maintenance grants for non-adjacent students, with a particular focus on those students who are travelling or paying rent. I mentioned that very specifically. The Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, also specifically referenced student accommodation in his speech on budget day. I do not quite understand why the Deputy made that suggestion because I checked both speeches and we both spoke to the issue.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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What the Minister, Deputy Chambers, talked about was accommodation that was already delivered. He spoke about Maynooth, which is already delivered, and UCD, which is already in the process of being delivered. He did not mention anything new.

How much later in the year is the Minister talking about for the publication of the strategy? We are now in October and people are anxious to see it. I have students coming in to me every week who are in despair and distress. They are facing the unrelenting task of trying to find suitable accommodation for their studies. A huge percentage of them are being forced into unregulated digs.

We also have technological universities that cannot borrow even though they have land available. This needs to be expedited because it is a matter of inequality.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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On the short-term activation programme, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, did indeed reference it, as have I several times. We have 116 new beds delivered in Maynooth, which are now open at Teach Ui Buachalla or Buckley House. I approved funding of €67 million just last month and turned the sod at UCD for its new accommodation project, which will deliver 493 new beds. As I already mentioned, I also significantly increased all four bands of the maintenance grant for non-adjacent students to reflect the extra pressures. We have also extended the rent tax credit for a further three years and that will make some difference to student affordability.

One of the issues here is planning and getting projects through the planning process. I completely agree with the Deputy that we are in crisis, to use her words, and that we need as much student accommodation delivered as possible. In that context, I would ask her to speak to her own party councillors, including Councillor Ciarán Ó Meachair in the Blackpitts area of Dublin, who recently announced to his constituents his opposition to student accommodation developments. It is very unhelpful, in a situation where I am trying to build as much student accommodation as possible, to have local Sinn Féin councillors opposing developments. I have written to Deputy McGettigan's party leader, Deputy McDonald, about this but she has not replied to me to date. I do not know what her position or that of the Sinn Féin party is on this. Deputy McGettigan might clarify that for us today.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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I will have to look into that.

The Minister said he recently approved funding of €67 million but that funding was announced in April 2024. It is not new funding. There is no mention of DCU, which has gone to tender and already has plans in place. All it is waiting for is permission to go ahead. This fund of €100 million was announced back in 2024; it is not new funding. Is there going to be new funding for student accommodation? I accept that giving extra money for accommodation and travel is a good thing but these people do not want to have to travel. Long commutes are causing huge issues for their mental health and are interfering with their studies. They want to be able to live on campus.

Regarding UCD, the cost of on-campus accommodation there is an eye-watering €11,888, the dearest in the State. Something needs to be done about this.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The overall figure of €100 million was indeed announced but individual projects required ministerial approval. I sanctioned UCD very recently and was glad to do so. DCU has a project that is currently under evaluation with the HEA. Trinity College also has a project that has undergone due diligence and is progressing through the system. There are some other projects which are at different stages.

In terms of the technological university sector, funding was given to that sector to accelerate its student accommodation programme and to assist with logistical issues and formulate proposals. A borrowing framework to allow technological universities to finance such developments or to access finance for same is a work in progress. That will all be contained in the student accommodation strategy. Ultimately, this comes down to two things, viability and affordability. We need to increase supply and encourage investment and ensure that students can actually afford to rent the units when purchased. In the finance Bill there are some measures around VAT on apartments and I have engaged with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to ensure that those measures would apply equally to student accommodation. I already mentioned the tax credit on rental payments. It is a complex area but a combination of measures is being adopted.