Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1464. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement that he has had regarding the shortage of student accommodation for new and returning students to TUS Athlone in the coming academic year. [40893/22]
View answerSince becoming Minister, both I and my Department officials have engaged intensively with both the Minister and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the wider higher education sector and stakeholders on student accommodation issues, within the context of overall housing policy.
My recent engagement with the sector indicates that hundreds of additional bed spaces owned by higher education institutions (HEIs) will be available for the start of the forthcoming academic year.
At the recent July Cabinet Housing Committee meeting to discuss student accommodation policy further, I received support to further explore a potential new provision model that would seek to bridge the challenging gap between the viability of delivering purpose built student accommodation and subsequent rental affordability for students. Both I and my Department are continuing to engage with Minister O’Brien and his officials in particular, and with other relevant sectoral stakeholders, on this.
Additionally, in the wider context many HEIs continue to support their students to find accommodation in the private rental sector through, for example, the encouragement of room rental or ‘student digs’ in family homes and maintain online databases students can access to search for and check out accommodation, where advertisements for room rentals can be placed and advice on sample rental agreements provided. This is an approach which I and my Department fully support and encourage.
In relation to technological universities, such as TÚS, borrowing to develop student accommodation, it has been confirmed through engagement that the Housing Finance Agency Act 1981 (as amended) provides a legislative basis for borrowing from that Agency by specified institutes of higher education, including TUs, where such borrowing is in respect of the provision of housing accommodation for students. The impacts, risks and responsibilities arising from such borrowing are key considerations in this context.
In addition to accessing borrowing on commercially viable and appropriate terms such as would not adversely impact the financial position of TUs themselves or the wider public finances, requisite oversight, risk evaluation, project management and attendant governance and regulatory processes would also need to be established. As such while this remains a complex issue my Department and the Departments of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Public Expenditure and Reform are committed to working with any viable pilot student accommodation proposals that emerge from the technological sector and to progress a borrowing framework in that context.
I have also been in recent correspondence with the President of the TÚS Students’ Union on these matters.
