Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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396. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the recent 27% year-on-year increase in rent at a student residence (details supplied); and his plans to address exorbitant rents in the student accommodation sector. [15734/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the recent price increases for purpose built student accommodation in certain private developments. 

The Government’s housing strategy, Rebuilding Ireland, seeks to address the current shortage of housing supply. The National Student Accommodation Strategy (NSAS) which I launched in July 2017, together with the Minister of State for Higher Education and the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, is an important element of this framework and was developed in response to the particular issues affecting student accommodation in light of the pressures which currently exist throughout the rental sector.

To date, 2,687 additional bed spaces have been provided since the launch of Rebuilding Ireland. As of end March, 2018, there were an additional 5,842 bed spaces actively being built, with over 2,570 of these due to come on stream for the 2018/2019 academic year and almost 3,270 the following year.

Work is being progressed to address the supply of purpose built student accommodation.  In the interim, the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government are working with The Union of Students Ireland to support the #HomesforStudy campaign which promotes the provision of ‘digs’ accommodation for students as an alternative to both purpose built student accommodation and the general rental market. 

The Interdepartmental Working Group on Student Accommodation has been asked to assess the impact of licence arrangements on residents of purpose built student accommodation.