Earlier, the Tánaiste said this is a good Government. However, it is not if you are a student looking for affordable accommodation. We are hurtling headlong into an accommodation crisis for students like we have never seen before. It is the biggest barrier to third level education today. This is especially true of students in rural areas. Many end up having to commute extraordinary distances because they are unable to secure any accommodation. The on-campus projects are being shelved because colleges are rightly un…

The next time the Minister will be before this House will likely be in October. At that stage, many students will be in the midst of what has become an annual student accommodation crisis. Will the Minister outline the total number of student accommodation projects with planning permission, particularly the college-led projects, and the steps he is taking to support these projects progressing to construction?

As the Minister outlined, many universities have student accommodation projects at various stages of planning and development. Many of these are shovel-ready. In my engagement with the universities and colleges, I have found that they are unable to progress these projects due to the relationship between project cost and what that means in respect of the rent that the colleges must charge students. In order to access loans, colleges must charge enough rent to repay those funds in a set timeframe. This means that as …

Absolutely, that aspect has emerged in the conversations I have had with the representatives of the colleges and universities well. There will have to be conditions in respect of the affordability of accommodation. That can be done. Affordable accommodation is the biggest barrier to entering third level education today, and this is especially true for students from rural areas. A report undertaken by researchers at NUI Galway found that the average cost for the cheapest room in Irish university accommodation is con…

This question is also about the cost of living and inflation in particular. This morning, the Central Bank said that inflation will peak in double digits. I am of the view that it will even go further than that. I welcome all the measures from last year that the Minister announced but we are not keeping up with where we need to be because all of that is eaten up by inflation. The Minister mentioned the fiscal space being available. What additional measures will be put in place from September?

I would have liked to see that the cost of education paper produced earlier so that we would be ready for September. I welcome the fact that the budget is being brought forward. I am still concerned with the mounting costs and about students who are planning to go to college this year. People are really worried. We have to remember that the increases that were made last year and that are coming into effect this year were the first in ten years. Sometimes I think that what annoys people is that announcements are mad…

The extra increase of €1,000 in the threshold has not been across all rates. Many parents ask me why the rate they are getting is not being increased. The Minister mentioned the measure of allowing students to earn €2,000 more during their holidays. The figure has increased from €4,500 to €6,552. That is absolutely a positive change, but it seems that it will come into effect only next year. Families think, "Great - this will really help me", and then they find they have to wait a year. I ask the Minister to think …

I understand the logic of what the Minister is doing, but in the here and now it does not benefit people.

I want to raise several issues. With regard to accessibility for people with disabilities, it is crucial that SUSI is made available for part-time courses. Many people with disabilities, and people without disabilities, find they have to do part-time courses. This is why it is very important. Rather than having separate funds if we could provide access to SUSI it would be very good. With regard to the student assistance fund, will the Minister see whether it can be made available earlier this year? What many studen…

I wish to pick up on the point about the demand from Ukrainian students. I commend the accommodation providers supplying that accommodation and absolutely condemn the others who are using the opportunity to price-gouge and put up prices hugely. I am talking about around the country but Athlone especially. A clear message needs to go out from here that price-gouging in these circumstances will not be tolerated and that it is condemned across the House.

I do not think we can talk about apprentices without talking about the current state of apprenticeships and what those who are in the system at the moment are experiencing. In our recent survey results, 84% of apprentices told us that they had to cut down on essentials such as buying groceries or turning the heat on. Some 72% said they had to take out debts in starting the apprenticeship. Some 96% felt that the Government was not doing enough to help them around the cost-of-living crisis. What plans are in place to…

I hope the Minister of State can take on board some of the things I said.

Nearly 1,000 people between Castlebar and Athenry who are participating in the rural social scheme and Tús scheme gathered in rooms in the last number of weeks. I acknowledge that Deputy Calleary is also meeting with a group today on the same issue. There are things that need to be sorted. Will the Minister ask the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, to engage meaningfully with supervisors to implement the very simple changes that are needed? Supervisors' pay has not been reviewed since 2008. We are a…

The foundations are an absolutely integral part of the scheme. The homeowners that are here today from Mayo know this. They can tell us that the foundations are not fit for purpose in some cases. Will the Minister please just allow the flexibility there with the applications within the system, so that homeowners watching this will know they can make an application and if the foundations need to be replaced, they will have them replaced. Who is going to sign off on the scheme? If an engineer knows that the foundatio…

I am glad the Minister has listened to my colleague, Deputy Ó Laoghaire, on this issue. It is very clear. Even the Tánaiste said this morning that the last few days have been spent on this. I welcome what it has bought. It is an example of effective opposition. I only wish the Government would listen more to what we and the Opposition more generally have to say with regard to alleviating the pressures on families. Families in Mayo are finding meeting back-to-school costs a struggle. It is a struggle every year but,…

To start with the positives of this legislation, the best thing I can say is that thankfully, despite the name of the Bill, it has nothing to do with turf. The increase in Bord na Móna's borrowing capacity to €650 million to help it fund its expansion into renewable energy is a positive step. Regarding the projects in which Bord na Móna is involved, it must respect the community in Oweninney, keep the promises it made and do everything to alleviate the stress of homeowners who must live with those projects. I ask t…

Sinn Féin has repeatedly brought forward sensible and costed proposals to help protect those under pressure from the rising cost of living. People throughout the country are watching this and they are watching the intransigence of the Government. It is almost wearing it as a badge of honour that it is going to hold out until October. Even some of the Government Teachtaí Dála know what people are going through and they do not agree with this. The eyes of the country are on the Government and they are on the Teachtaí…

I welcome this opportunity to discuss insurance reform again. The cost of living has spiked as a result of high energy prices and supply chain issues, but many have been struggling under the high costs long before the recent wave of inflation. The Minister of State will be aware of all the times we discussed this in the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach going back years. Soaring insurance costs have been putting people, drivers, businesses and community groups under severe pre…

My colleague will take the amendment as Gaeilge.

I support these amendments and they provide for flexibility for an institute of technology or a college to join an established TU. It is important that all colleges and institutes of technology have a pathway to be included in the TUs. I am mindful of St. Angela's College as well as it is in my geographical area.