Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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199. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the current crisis facing students in obtaining accommodation in Dublin city, and the need for a long-term solution to be created to mitigate this crisis and ensure access to education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26686/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I appreciate that there are concerns regarding the availability of accommodation for students in certain parts of the country and for that reason I have asked the HEA to report on this issue. The HEA are currently working on a draft report on student accommodation which will be available shortly and will give us an up to date picture of the situation.

In that context, I will continue to work with Government colleagues and stakeholders to explore ways to increase the availability of student accommodation where needed. Many of our third-level institutions are currently working to develop additional accommodation for their students, which will help to address the issue in the medium term.

In the longer term, the Government is committed to addressing the housing shortage through the Construction 2020 strategy. This will not resolve all of our problems immediately, but I am confident that the implementation of Construction 2020 will provide us with a sustainable housing stock in the medium to longer term.