Results 1,241-1,260 of 5,098 for speaker:Mairéad Farrell

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I seek confirmation the Minister's officials are examining the issue of 51-week leases for purpose-built student accommodation and ask for an update on that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 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...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: Yes, but we also need to be frank here. Because of the over-reliance on the private sector, specifically now on vulture funds for providing purpose-built student accommodation, we are in this crisis. Of course I want to see purpose-built student accommodation by universities at an affordable rate. I have a few concerns. It does not seem to me there will be a move towards TUs being able...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: 1. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to the new student accommodation policy for which he sought Cabinet approval, if he can he provide details of the refurbishment grant which he had outlined. [9106/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I ask the Minister to provide the details of the refurbishment grant for university student accommodation. Can he confirm as he had stated previously that it was the universities that had requested this?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I am somewhat perplexed by this whole thing. I am unclear as to why Cabinet approval was needed. I have concerns about how fully it was thought through. In 2022 the Irish Independentreported that: "Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is today seeking Government approval for a strategy around State investment in campus accommodation." This was to involve a "Grant paid to colleges, to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: This is a bit different from what I understood and many people would have understood from the original announcement of this policy. First, it was not clear that the Minister was talking about commercial units as well. It was not clear that he was only talking about technological universities. My understanding from the committee meeting we had was that it applied to the university sector in...

Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I listened intently to the Minister of State's response to the Bill, which I commend my colleagues for putting forward. The reality is that we have worked with the Bills Office on this Bill. We have worked with and listened to families and parents and we have listened to children on this legislation. The Minister of State is kicking the can down the road with a promise of action down the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: There is nothing to rent.

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2024: First Stage (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and to provide for related matters. I recognise the fact that representatives of USI, UCD and TU Dublin are present. They have done great work, not just in respect of digs accommodation, but in raising more generally the issue of student accommodation and its lack of...

Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2024: First Stage (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: We see that thousands of people feel they have no choice but to go to Australia. I was contacted by one such person who emigrated to Australia recently. He said he has hit the one-year mark in Australia. He is 28 years old and applied for his visa in 2022 and left in 2023. He says he has absolutely loved his time there so far but while constant homesickness makes him want to move back...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I thank the Chair and I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee. I attended the launch of the witnesses' report a few months ago. It was fascinating and I thank the witnesses for that research. The committee had other consultations on this matter approximately two weeks ago and one of the things mentioned, which was mentioned in the witnesses' opening statement as well, was the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: Okay, that is fair. What about northern students coming to the South?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: Okay, that is fair. One thing I have heard anecdotally is that, since Covid-19, there has been an increase in the number of students going from the South to the North. The witnesses highlighted the issues with the cost of living and housing. From speaking to people in universities in the North, it has come up that housing there is cheaper and, as a result, more students from the Border...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: Of course. One of my party colleagues is now the Minister for the Economy and he has a particular interest in North-South mobility. He is also interested in what I thought was fascinating about the witnesses' presentation, namely, that so many students who go to Britain do not return. This has a major impact on the wider economy and this is important. Foreign languages were also...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: That is great. I thank Professor Smyth.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: I thank the Chair and the witnesses for coming in front of the committee. Obviously this is something we have been looking at for some time and it is important to acknowledge that we are seeing changes in relation to qualifying criteria for students from the North coming to the South. That is welcome and it is positive that the witnesses have had a major focus in relation to this. My party...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: North-South Student Mobility: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Mairéad Farrell: In respect of phase 2, two things arise. Are specific craft apprenticeships going to the North in terms of the phase 2 capacity? Mr. Brownlee mentioned short-term capacity for phase 2 to deal with the backlog. Is that something he can envisage as being longer term in the sense of that collaboration? Obviously if there is a backlog now, the concern is that were that capacity to be removed...