Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise as I would have spoken to the amendment if I had realised it was in this group. I watched the debate in the Dáil. Deputy Ó Broin spoke about the need for a public awareness campaign around these matters with the Union of Students in Ireland and Threshold once the Bill is passed. The amendment sought to address the opt-in for tenants, including students.The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science had concerns regarding students coming from abroad specifically for full terms and who buy a package of educational materials and accommodation. We fully accept, obviously, that those students must be catered for and there are no problems in that regard. The Minister also indicated that his Department would look at this issue to ensure that the optional opt-out is not exploited because, ultimately, we are all on the same page. Students and their parents must be fully aware of this situation and they should not be pressured to pay more than what is legally required.