Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The fallout from the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the social lives of teenagers, students and young adults. Further suffering is now being foisted upon students in particular as a result of them entering into contracts for accommodation in many colleges and universities. In order to secure accommodation for the year ahead, students had to pay somewhere between €5,000 and, in some cases, €10,000 in advance, only now to be told that the contracting party was not aware that there was going to be a lockdown, the contract has been entered into and they must suffer the loss. Those students have paid the money but have no access to the accommodation or requirement from it.

I am seeking a debate on this matter. The resolution of this cannot be on the basis of contracts entered into being enforced. These students have suffered enough. I am familiar with cases where the parents of such students have lost their jobs and the €5,000, €7,000 or €10,000 that was given over to secure accommodation was borrowed money that has to be paid back. In many cases, the people affected do not have the wherewithal to do that. It cannot be beyond all of us to come up with a solution, whether through some kind of grant that supports those in particular hardship or through a tax write-off that can be attained over a number of years. In most cases, it is the parents who are affected but some students have taken out loans on the basis of a hope that they could work part-time in the hospitality sector during the college year. We now fully accept that there will be very little opportunity for students to work through this period. I would like the Leader to organise a debate at the earliest opportunity in order to give some sense of direction as to how this matter might be resolved.