John O'Mahony (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, for coming to the House to discuss the issue of third level student accommodation.This issue usually arises at this time of the year as thousands of students finish their leaving certificate and look forward to going on to third level education. They will be looking for accommodation for the end of August and the beginning of September once they get their results. The problem is that there is an increasing number of students and a decreasing amount of accommodation. In addition, the cost of the accommodation available is increasing far above the rate allowed within pressure zones. I will give a specific example of that shortly.

The Government's national student accommodation strategy of July 2017 showed there was excess demand for purpose built student accommodation of over 23,000. That will increase to over 25,000 by July 2019. The figures in that report outline what the problem is and how it is increasing. I met some student leaders in Galway last week. They said that in the middle of their examinations in May the cost of official student accommodation in the National University of Ireland Galway, NUIG, was increased by 18%. That confused me because Galway city is a rent pressure zone, which does not allow rent increases of more than 4% for accommodation. However, I was told that this does not apply to student accommodation. Perhaps the Minister will clarify that. Am I wrong in the assumption that it should apply everywhere? This will lead to students commuting long distances to get over this problem, sleeping on the couches of friends and mental health issues.

I am seeking information on the developments at all universities and third level institutions. Is much extra student accommodation planned? Is much being built at present? If more student accommodation became available it would alleviate pressure on private rented accommodation for the general public. Would the solution be to give some incentives or grants to provide student accommodation on the campuses of our universities or colleges? That would in turn provide an income stream, help the overall development of those third level institutions and, perhaps, take some pressure off the Government to provide extra funding. I am merely passing on the concerns that were raised with me and I hope the Minister can reply to some of the questions I raised.