Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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263. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will remove the barriers that prevent technological universities such a university (details supplied) from building student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21845/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The new National Student Accommodation Strategy 2026-2035 sets out a pathway to make higher education more accessible by addressing two critical challenges, accommodation supply and viability and accommodation affordability.

To address supply and viability the strategy sets out a balanced approach including: -

• A commitment to long term State-backed measures to activate supply, working in partnership with the private sector.
• Support for the development of accommodation on public campuses as well as on private sites near to campus, subject to State Aid clearance.
• The development of a framework, in line with relevant Departmental consents, to support Technological Universities to develop nomination agreements with the private sector.
• The expansion of the Technological Sector Student Accommodation Programme to include traditional universities enabling the sector as a whole to meet demand; and
• The enhanced supply of student beds through promotion of Rent-a-Room accommodation.