Student Accommodation and Supports: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-26 ============================================================ Pauline Tully (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel The lack of availability and the unaffordability of what is available are proving a barrier to some pursuing further and higher education options. We see many young people forced to live at home with parents, which is the last thing they want to do. After doing their leaving certificate, they want to experience college life and get away. I know a lad doing his leaving certificate next week and he cannot wait to get away. Hopefully it will all work out for him in the autumn. The fact that students are living at home is putting pressure on them because they are commuting. The options for commuting are not always reliable, whether it is the bus service, the train service or even if they are driving, with traffic and everything else. There is a cost to that. It is not just a financial cost, although there is that too. There is also a cost in terms of their ability to study. They will be tired from all of the commuting. There is a cost in terms of their ability to engage in college life. Of those who are renting, approximately 60% are struggling to pay the rent. Many of them are working part-time, or almost full-time, to cover the costs. That is also having an impact on their ability to study and live their lives. Many of them are dropping out because they cannot maintain both the job and their studies. The Minister pointed out that 42,000 units have been identified as being needed by 2035. However, a report by Sherry Fitzgerald in February stated there is a deficit of almost 39,000 now in our major cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. That could increase those who are commuting are factored in. Demand is huge. It will take the State, private developers and colleges working together to ensure there is sufficient accommodation in the coming years. However, targets are not being met as it is. Many of the projects for which planning permissions have been given are not being developed and cost is a huge factor in that. When these developments are built, most of them are not affordable to students. All of that needs to be addressed. I welcome that the borrowing framework for technological universities has been worked out. Representatives of many of the TUs appeared before the committee and had plans practically ready to go. They would be able to develop purpose-built accommodation on land. I am delighted that the borrowing framework is in place, and they can progress those plans to provide accommodation. One college that has a lot of accommodation is UCD, but it is extremely expensive. I have heard of students being charged over €11,000 for a year for accommodation. The cost may vary but it is very high. We want to see a good standard of accommodation provided to our students, but it does not have to be over the top. It just needs to be basic quality accommodation. There is an over-reliance in the student accommodation strategy on digs and the rent a room scheme. We know of many arrangements that work out really well. I have known people who have used digs over the years, but there are some perilous arrangements as well. I have heard of students who are not allowed to stay at weekends. They may be allowed to stay for only three or four nights during the week and then they have to move all of their stuff. They cannot have friends over. They cannot use the kitchen or have a shower after a certain time. We have the sex-for-rent scandals as well, which are even more serious. We need protections for people who rent a room or take digs in a house. At the moment, they do not come under the Residential Tenancies Board or any other such body. I am concerned by the cost of developing purpose-built student accommodation. It seems very high. I know construction costs have increased across the board for all building, whether private or not. I do not know if construction or development companies are taking advantage of the fact that they know there is a huge deficit and, therefore, pressure to have purpose-built student accommodation. The Minister will tell me the contracts go out to tender and so forth but I wonder why the cost is so high. Student contribution fees were reduced last year. I hope we will see a further reduction this year. I know the Minister will not confirm that at this stage, but I hope it happens. On SUSI, I have been contacted by a couple of people, one of whom is a young lad who was born in this country. He went to primary and post-primary school here. He did well in the leaving certificate a year ago, applied for college and was accepted, but when he applied for the SUSI grant he was denied because his parents are visa holders. They are here on work permits, but his father has been here for more than 20 years, working and contributing to the economy. The young man was deemed not to qualify for a SUSI grant, which I feel is unfair. I understand that someone who has just moved here might not be entitled to this kind of support but this is someone who was born and reared here and whose parents have contributed to the economy. He should be entitled to SUSI. He has applied again this year and I hope he will be successful. If not, I may come back to the Minister to seek some guidance on the case. Another young girl was not born here but has been here since she was seven or eight years of age. Most of her schooling was done here and she is in the same situation. Her parents, who are non-European, are here on work permits and she is deemed not to qualify. That is unfair for these students who have worked really hard, got good results and want to progress. This is their home. It is the only country they have known living in, and they are being denied opportunities. Their parents cannot afford to pay for them privately. Students' unions do great work supporting students in our colleges, but they are under pressure. They say they are acting almost like letting agencies because student accommodation is such a big issue and they are trying to support so many students. That puts a lot of pressure on their ability to support students on other issues. In fact, in a number of colleges they have had to open food banks. That is very serious. There should be more supports given to students' unions to support students. What we need are more interventions in the area of affordable and available accommodation, and cost-of-living supports for students who are finding it difficult to make ends meet. --- 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