The reality is that the cost of student accommodation is totally beyond the reach of many families. The issue here is that this is locking more young people out of access to third level education. We see that and hear it from our students' unions consistently. We also hear it when we are speaking to students. Yesterday, I was in UCD and I was told by one student that he is commuting from Cavan every day and spends many hours commuting as a result. In 2018, the Government had a report stating that by 2024, we would …

The Minister and I can agree on that; of course we need to increase supply. That is the only real way we will solve the housing crisis that is impacting on so many different people. I take the Minister's point that he is working on this matter but the reality is that it is still costing people thousands of euro. That is not realistic. I know the Minister is interested in access to higher education or third level education no matter what avenue people want to take. The other issue that has come up for me consistentl…

The Minister recently published the options paper, Funding the Future. Will he outline what proposals his Department is considering enacting from the range of options presented in that paper and what he might be considering as part of budget 2024? If he wants to give us a detailed outline, that would be no problem.

We have been discussing the considerable burden of the cost of accommodation on students and the very real impact that has on students' ability to access third level education. Students who are going into sixth year now are considering what they will do, going forward, and wondering if they will be able to access third level education. Another thing that needs to be talked about is the student contribution charge, which I call a fee. The free fees initiative was one of the great innovations in Irish public policy. …

Both of us speak to students regularly and we hear their concerns. So many students are telling me that they are either doing huge and long commutes trying to get into college, if they can, and that this is causing them huge stress. We saw that young woman on "The Tonight Show" this week who was explaining how she was travelling a long distance and the impact that was having with getting up at 5 a.m. and coming back late at night, while trying to keep her part-time job. So many students are not only struggling to g…

I want to thank an Teachta Cian O'Callaghan for tabling this question. It is something we have seen over the last number of weeks and days. Students have been coming together and clearly protesting any increases in the cost of student accommodation. This is not only for themselves, but they are showing solidarity for others and solidarity for the future. That is really powerful and strong and it highlights the benefits of that kind of protest. We have also seen, as Deputy Cian O'Callaghan has mentioned, some univer…

Yes.

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising this issue. It is quite interesting, particularly for the Carlow area. I am asking this question for my own clarity because I am new in this role. Something that comes up frequently with regard to the technological universities is the lack of clarity regarding borrowing and whether it will be on the Government balance sheets. Why are the technological universities not considered independent for borrowing purposes in the same way as other universities? Now that so many are…

I thank the Minister.

In order to deal with the issues we have been outlining over the last hour and a half - I refer to the housing crisis and student accommodation - we need to make sure there is a strong throughput of craft apprentices, especially for the future of young people who want to stay here, contribute to this society and help to solve that crisis. Will the Minister provide an update on what he is doing to increase the throughput of apprentices?

When will the west wake up and realise that Israel is an apartheid state and has to be treated as such? How much more Palestinian land will be colonised? How much longer can international law continue to be violated and how many more Palestinians will be murdered? I recognise that the Government is a strong supporter of Palestinian people, but it is time we did far more. It is time we took the same kind of steps we did during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. We need to progress the occupied territori…

On Friday, a man named Michael, who is 82 years of age, called to my office. He was in huge distress because he had received an electricity bill for €939. That is a staggering amount, and completely unaffordable. Michael lives alone in a one-bedroom flat and is absolutely terrified to put on the heat or the electricity. He told me he has not put the heat on in months because he is so worried. I contacted the provider on Michael’s behalf. Its only suggestion was that he would pay in instalments. For a man of 82 year…

Julian Assange is on the verge of being deported and his more than 100-page long appeal detailing the sheer atrocity of his incarceration was not upheld. The response to it was just three pages long. It looks like he will be deported to the US. I shudder to think what awaits Mr. Assange. This is arguably the most significant journalist in the history of journalism. He exposed many war crimes and wrong doings and revealed more confidential documentation than anybody else. His work allowed many media organisations to…

The crisis in the rental sector and the housing emergency affect every part of our society. It affects every household and family. The Government always says that people want to rent and that they should have the opportunity to do so. There is one cohort of people who are really reliant on the rental sector, namely, students. Today I met with representatives of the Union of Students in Ireland. Its prebudget submission was all about housing. Of course the housing emergency impacts on students. It used to be that gr…

I was reading RTÉ's vision statement earlier. It states: RTÉ's vision is to champion Irish culture by captivating audiences with trusted, engaging and challenging content; celebrating our country's rich diversity; and cultivating Ireland's talent. There are a number of parts of that statement that I want to focus on that situate themselves within the context of the current crisis in which RTÉ finds itself. I will focus specifically on those relating to the notion of trust and the concept of talent. All of these iss…

Ar dtús, cuirim fáilte roimh an ngrúpa feachtasaíochta atá tagtha anseo go Baile Átha Cliath inniu chun an feachtas atá acu a chur faoi bhráid na Dála. Tá sé sin fíorthábhachtach. I welcome the campaign group and thank its members for bringing their campaign here and allowing us the privilege of hearing them speak. We often have presentations in the audiovisual room but I have never been at a briefing there as touching and moving as the presentation I heard today when the Enough is Enough campaign group spoke. A nu…

The issue of the ongoing process of EU reform is at the forefront in Europe. When it came to the fiscal rules, for example, Ireland was not vocal enough as a State. It was necessary for the finance committee to help drive a submission on it. Unfortunately, the new rules look a lot like the old rules. Although there are some new exemptions from debt and deficit considerations, mainly in defence spending, there have been calls, including from Sinn Féin, for exemptions in the context of climate and housing. Climate is…

I listened to what the Minister of State had to say. She listed what she has done and provided but she must admit that what is happening at the moment is not working. We all know it is not working. We know that because the families are telling us it is not working. The families are telling us they are terrified about what will become of the nursing homes in which their loved ones live. Urgent action is needed to halt potential closures and drastically expand the capacity. Since 2020, 34 nursing homes have closed an…

I ask the Minister to comment in regard to bus connectivity in Galway city and the plans in that regard.

I am aware that a lot of welcome changes are being proposed for buses in Galway in terms of greater availability and improved times, all of which is very positive. One of the things I had been calling for over a long time was a night bus, so I think the 24-hour route is a very important and positive step forward. I live in Mervue, which has always had a bus stop. There is a huge issue of concern for the people of Mervue at this point because there is a proposal to get rid of that bus stop. It is part of this concep…