Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to alleviate the economic pressures on students in higher education and in particular his plans to provide affordable student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6440/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am very aware of the impact the cost of living and in particular the cost of accommodation has on students and the challenges students are facing.

The Government has taken action to address affordability in Student Accommodation. Rent increases in student accommodation is capped under the Rent Pressure Zones. As of this academic year, students cannot be made to pay more than two months’ rent up front when commencing a tenancy, ending the practice wherein students had to pay several thousand euro up front to secure accommodation.

There are a number of supports available to students facing financial barriers to attending higher education, the principal one being the Student Grant Scheme, which assists more than 70,000 students annually to access third level education.

The Student Grant Scheme includes a "non-adjacent" rate of grant which is a higher rate of grant that takes into consideration the additional costs which may be associated with living further away from college, such as accommodation costs. From September 2022 the distance for the “non-adjacent rate” will be reduced from 45km to 30km, meaning that more students will qualify for this higher grant rate.

Students experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. The allocation to the Student Assistance Fund for the 2021 academic year is €17.2 million, which includes an additional €8.1m of the COVID-19 return to education funding.

However, fundamentally the accommodation challenge is one of supply and we need to increase the supply of all types of housing and accommodation, including student accommodation.

That is why the Government has launched Housing for All, led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This sets out a series of actions which will be delivered to fix the housing crisis. The plan is backed by the largest ever housing budget in the history of the State to transform our housing system, in excess of €20bn.

Housing For All contains a commitment to support technological universities to develop purpose-built student accommodation where such a requirement exists, through access to appropriate financing.

The development of PBSA by technological universities would lead to an increased supply of student accommodation and improve technological universities offering to prospective students. My officials are working with colleagues in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to progress this commitment.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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104. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has met either of the universities located in Cork city with regard to opening a campus on the northside of the city. [6361/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have not met with either UCC or MTU to discuss a new campus on the northside of Cork city and my Department have not been made aware of any plans by either institution in that regard.

However, my Department continues to work collaboratively with higher education institutions on the development of capital projects in line with their established masterplans.

I am sure the Deputy is aware that there are a number of higher education building projects in Cork currently being supported by my Department. These include the planned new Learning Resource building at MTU's Bishopstown campus, which will be delivered as part of the Higher Education PPP Programme; a major upgrade of the main 1970s building at MTU's Bishopstown campus; the planned new building for Cork University Business School, which will be delivered as a co-funded project with UCC; and the decarbonisation of the heating system in UCC’s O’Rahilly Building, one of eight energy efficiency and decarbonisation pathfinder projects being supported in the sector.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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105. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of his discussions to date to secure the continued operation of the Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5508/22]

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts being made to retain the Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin given its cultural importance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6359/22]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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126. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement to date to secure the continued operation of the Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5509/22]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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131. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement his Department had on the future of the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6072/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 105, 112, 126 and 131 together.

Since it opened in 2008, the Science Gallery has been a popular visitor attraction and strengthened the appreciation of science especially among young people. My Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media remain in contact with the Provost and management at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) since TCD’s initial announcement regarding the Science Gallery.

TCD has made it clear that the current model for the gallery is financially unsustainable due to changes in the philanthropic funding environment, which if left unaddressed, would have left the College exposed to significant ongoing financial liabilities. In a recent statement, the Provost of TCD noted that the gallery's current operational model had run its course, there is a need for the gallery to be totally reimagined, and that time is required to build a sustainable way forward.

My Department will continue to engage with TCD as they move into a new phase of planning for the gallery.

As I have said before, public funding continues to be available to support a sustainable model for public promotion of science. The Government has indicated that it is willing to engage with TCD, including in relation to funding on the basis of any proposals it brings forward.