Student Accommodation and Supports: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-26 ============================================================ Dee Ryan (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach I thank the Minister for his time. I am delighted to welcome him back into the Seanad on the occasion of this important debate on student accommodation. I acknowledge the very significant progress that has been made under his leadership in the Department. Sometimes in politics we focus solely on problems and do a disservice to the taxpayers and citizens by failing to recognise the actual progress that is being made and the genuine delivery and reform. Since taking office, the Minister has pursued an ambitious agenda with tangible results already, and that deserves recognition in this House. He has unlocked €1.48 billion from the National Training Fund to support higher education and skills development. He introduced the full professorship grade for technological universities. This is a landmark reform that strengthens parity of esteem across the higher education system and supports the continued growth of regional institutions. He secured a record €410 million investment in apprenticeships, expanding courses and student spaces for learners right across the country. He delivered and made permanent the €500 reduction in the student fee contribution, a very meaningful support for students and families. He launched aiready.ie , the national AI skilling platform to ensure that Ireland remains competitive in the rapidly changing global economy. Critically, for today's debate, the Minister made student accommodation a clear priority. Last year, he published the national design guide for student accommodation, helping to ensure that new developments are high quality, sustainable and designed around student well-being. He introduced nomination agreements allowing higher education institutions to partner directly with developers and accommodation providers to accelerate the delivery and provide certainty for students. He introduced the borrowing framework for technological universities. That work, combined with the introduction of the 9% VAT rate for apartments in last year's budget, has brought confidence back to the market and sent signals to the construction sector that Ireland is serious about supporting the development of student accommodation. I also acknowledge the Minister's work in securing the carve-out for students within the stronger tenancy protection legislation - the three-year protection window for students. That is a practical and important change that he secured. The Minister published the student accommodation strategy, tying all of those other measures together, with clear national targets and the roadmap for delivery of the 42,000 beds he has projected we will need over the lifetime of the strategy. While there is more work to do, it is important to state clearly that these are substantial achievements and they are making a difference. We are now beginning to see progress right around the country, in particular in my home town of Limerick. In recent months, we have had very positive announcements that demonstrate the momentum is now building. Most notably, the Minister and I visited the site in Limerick at the Groody Student Park in Castletroy, close to the University of Limerick, where a landmark 1,400-bed student accommodation project will be delivered over two phases. It is set to start later this year. It is going to be the largest student accommodation project ever undertaken outside of Dublin. The project will not only provide modern accommodation for students but will also ease pressure on the wider rental sector in the Castletroy area in Limerick. It will support economic activity and reinforce Limerick's role as one of Ireland's leading university cities. In March of this year, planning was granted for a 115-bed student accommodation unit in Pennywell in Limerick city centre, very close to the art college, which we are very pleased to see. Unfortunately, we have not had as much success in developing student accommodation in the west of the city, near Mary Immaculate College, but I hope and believe the changes the Minister is introducing and leading will help us to get there. We have also seen proactive engagement from Limerick City and County Council in examining additional opportunities for purpose-built student accommodation on public lands. Earlier this year, the council went to consultation to gauge market interest in partnering on such development on local authority-owned lands. It is now reviewing the responses. There is a role for local authorities in this area in addition to the work being done by the Department and complementary to the public private partnerships and nomination agreements. The Mayor of Limerick, Mr. Moran, has ambitious plans for smart housing in the form of modular accommodation, which could be ideal for students. Financing will, of course, be an issue for local authorities. We need to look at increasing their borrowing capacity in order to fund these types of projects, which can be self-financing to some extent, and increase the amount of student accommodation being provided overall within a region. There is nobody better than the councils to identify the most suitable sites and handle all the challenges associated with development. I urge the Minister to relate this discussion to the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, and ask him to examine the possibility of introducing for the local authorities a similar capacity to the TU borrowing framework, in the interest of providing what is the Government's top priority, namely, housing of all types. These developments matter because student accommodation is not simply about buildings. It is about access and whether a young person from rural Ireland can afford to attend college. It is about whether students can participate fully in university life without enduring the exhausting commutes or unaffordable rents we have discussed. It is about ensuring our regional cities continue to grow as centres of education that foster innovation and attract investment into the wider economy, thereby providing opportunity for all. Challenges remain, of course, and the Minister has acknowledged them and is determined to address them. Unfortunately, demand continues to outpace supply in many areas. Affordability pressures are real and many students are experiencing enormous anxiety as they try to secure accommodation. Senator Rabbitte spoke to me recently about the pressure a constituent of hers is facing in trying to find accommodation in Limerick for September. God willing, that student will get a place. This is why the momentum under way must continue. We need accelerated delivery of purpose-built student accommodation near campuses and transport links. We need continued collaboration between the Government, higher education institutions, local authorities and the private sector. We must continue to strengthen our regional education centres in order that opportunities are spread right across the country and not solely concentrated in Dublin. That will ease the burden the concentration of services and opportunities is putting on the capital. The measures introduced under the Minister's tenure are laying important foundations for the future. There is much still to do but there is clear evidence of progress, a clear direction of travel and a seriousness of purpose that deserves acknowledgment. Fianna Fáil remains committed to supporting practical, deliverable policies that expand educational opportunity, support balanced regional development and ensure students have access to safe, affordable and high-quality accommodation. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-26/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-26