Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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749. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress of supporting higher education institutions in developing on campus student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53522/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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For the first time, the State is investing in student accommodation to help address the sector’s viability and housing shortage. Under my Department's Short-Term Activation Programme (STAP) €100 million in capital funding has been approved to support stalled university accommodation projects.

I officially opened Maynooth University’s 116-bed project on the 8th of September, with these beds available to students for the current academic year.

On the 5th of September, I announced the allocation of €67 million in state funding under the STAP to enable University College Dublin to enter contract for the delivery of 493 new student accommodation beds.

The Technological Sector Student Accommodation Programme (TSSAP) is progressing in tandem with the STAP, the purpose of which is to assess Higher Education Institution proposals for student accommodation projects on, or near, each of their main campus locations.

Stage 1 of the TSSAP involved the submission of strategic assessment documents. Higher Education Institutions submitted proposals exploring a range delivery models including purpose-built student accommodation both on and off campus, leasing, joint ventures, and repurposing of vacant or derelict properties.

The second phase involves the development and assessment of the initial preliminary business cases (PBC) comprising of a PBC narrative, financial model, economic model and a multi-criteria analysis model.

The TSSAP will align with all criteria outlined within the Infrastructure Guidelines Process with regards evaluation, planning and management of public investment projects. Projects for progression under Stage 2 will align with this process, ensuring that locations are chosen based on strategic fit, feasibility, and alignment with national policy objectives.

In addition, my Department is developing the new student accommodation strategy which is due for completion in Q4 this year. The strategy will aim to enable viability measures to increase the supply of student accommodation and to provide measures to address affordability for students facing the greatest socioeconomic challenges.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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750. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are statistics on the uptake of the rent-a-room scheme with particular reference to students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53523/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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For the last two years, my Department has run a rent-a-room campaigns with the objective of increasing the number of digs beds available to students in advance of the academic year. The 2024 campaign resulted in an increase of approximately 1,800 digs beds advertised by our Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

I can confirm that 2025 rent-a-room campaign is now complete. It is expected that the results of the campaign will be available by the end of October.

As of 26th September there were approximately 5,300 digs beds advertised and available through our public Higher Education Institutions which is an increase of 1,500 digs beds comparing to the beginning of the campaign and at least 1,940 digs beds have been up taken by students during campaign to date.

The Rent a Room Relief Scheme which was introduced in 2014 allowed homeowners tax relief on income by renting out a room in their owner-occupied residence and the threshold was increased to €14,000 in 2017. In May 2022, the Department of Social Protection announced a new regulation allowing up to €14,000 per year in rental income to be disregarded for means tested. social welfare payments. This aligned the Social Welfare System with the existing Revenue Rent-a-Room Relief.

The Rent Tax Credit, introduced in Finance Act 2022, was increased from €750 to €1,000 for an individual claimant and from €1,500 to €2,000 for a jointly assessed couple for 2025.

These changes all have contributed to the increase of digs accommodation.