Scientific Research
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-11
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Jen Cummins (SD), Dublin South-Central

I am interested to see how that shared portal will work. I understand a lot of this equipment is incredibly expensive but, I assume, very important to have. I would like to hear more about how that will be managed.
Are we ensuring our PhD and postdoctoral researchers are being fully supported to be able to work in this area? I refer specifically to those who receive stipends and I am asking whether they are adequate.
There is a second element to my question. The Minister recently announced that the rent pressure zones, RPZs, will not apply to private student accommodation. I am very concerned that we will put all this equipment into universities but, at the same time, raise student accommodation prices twice in the next couple of years, out of line with what is happening in the rest of the country. I am concerned we will invest in this, which we should, but then we will not have he students or researchers coming in because student accommodation is unaffordable. I am delighted the Minister is able to put this amount of money into higher education but I am concerned that we will get all the equipment and then we may not have the students because accommodation is so expensive, particularly in urban areas.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11