Laura Harmon (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of student accommodation. I attended a briefing in the audiovisual room this morning by the University of Galway Students Union, which recently published a report to which 1,700 students at the university responded. The report contains some stark findings. It found that 78% of respondents had struggled to find accommodation, and one in 20 was living in temporary or emergency accommodation while trying to find somewhere permanent to live. Nearly one third of respondents said their experience trying to find housing had impacted on their studies.

Going to college should be an exciting time for students. It should be about making new friends and furthering their educational attainment rather than worrying about housing. I am very worried that the student housing situation is impacting access to education. Of course, this is a symptom and consequences of the wider housing crisis in Ireland. It certainly has not been a priority for successive Governments. I was president of the Union of Students in Ireland, USI, ten years ago. Accommodation was also an issue then. The situation has gone from bad to worse. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has committed to publishing a dedicated student housing strategy in quarter 2. We await that strategy. I hope it will contain clear targets and will support technological universities to be able to borrow more in terms of acquiring more purpose-built student accommodation.

The University College Cork Students Union also carried out research recently which showed that a very worrying 28% of respondents said they had gone to lectures hungry and that 57% said they would not be able to pay any sort of unexpected bill that might arise. The situation with the cost of living and housing is greatly impacting students and our higher education sector. Of course, it often takes a family to put somebody through college. This affects more than just individual students; it also affects the wider family. I call for a debate on this issue with the Minister, in respect of which I have tabled a Commencement matter. Hopefully, we can engage in a debate on it.