We will begin with Deputy Ó Snodaigh's Other Question, Question No. 223.
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Oideachas Tríú Leibhéal
Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Ceist:223. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science an bhfuil sé i gceist aige aon mhaoiniú ar leith a chur ar fáil chun tacú le hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal cúrsaí a sholáthar trí mheán na Gaeilge; ar phléigh sé riamh an gá atá le breis cúrsaí trí Ghaeilge chun an sprioc 20% earcaíochta faoi Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021 a bhaint amach leis an Aire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail, agus Gaeltachta, leis an Aire Caiteachais Phoiblí, Bonneagair, Athchóiriúcháin Seirbhíse Poiblí agus Digitiúcháin, leis an Údarás Ardoideachais nó leis na hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal; agus an mbeidh sé sásta labhairt leo mura pléadh go fóill é. [22074/26]
An bhfuil maoiniú breise chun a bheith tugtha do na hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal chun a dhéanamh cinnte de go bhfuil siad ag soláthar cúrsaí trí mheán na Gaeilge chun cuidiú leis an Stát an 20% atá leagtha síos ó thaobh earcú isteach sa Státchóras a shroicheadh?
Is é sin an chéad cheist inniu toisc go bhfuil a lán daoine as láthair. In any event, aithníonn mo Roinn an ról tábhachtach atá ag an earnáil oideachais tríú leibhéal i dtaca le sprioc an Rialtais a bhaint amach, is é sin go mbeidh 20% d'earcaigh san earnáil phoiblí inniúil sa Ghaeilge faoi 2030.
Le hAcht an Údaráis um Ard-Oideachas, 2022 cuirtear oibleagáid reachtúil ar an Údarás um Ard-Oideachas tacú le hinstitiúidí ardoideachais chun an Ghaeilge a mhúineadh, a chur chun cinn agus a úsáid. Chun na críche sin, tacaíonn mo Roinn le hinstitiúidí ardoideachais faoi láthair, tríd an Údarás um Ard-Oideachas, trí mhaoiniú lárnach agus trí shruthanna maoinithe sonracha do thionscnaimh Ghaeilge. Áirítear leis seo beagnach €1.8 milliún in aghaidh na bliana d'Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe agus €900,000 do thionscnaimh Ghaeilge níos leithne sna hollscoileanna.
Lasmuigh den earnáil ardoideachais, tá scileanna Gaeilge á gcur chun cinn freisin trí líonraí Skillnet Ireland, printíseachtaí agus cláir bhreisoideachais agus oiliúna. Cuireann sé sin uile leis an sprioc bheartais níos leithne maidir leis an nGaeilge a thacú i dtaobh úsáid na teanga go gairmiúil.
Maidir leis an bplean náisiúnta do sheirbhísí poiblí Gaeilge go sonrach, tá mo Roinn tiomanta go n-oibreoimid leis an earnáil oideachais tríú leibhéal agus le Ranna eile chun a chuspóirí a chur chun cinn. Áirítear leis an obair seo grúpa oibre earnála a bhunú, a mbeidh comhchathaoirleacht á déanamh air idir mo Roinn agus an Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta, chun breathnú ar bhealaí praiticiúla inar féidir leis na hearnálacha-----
I thank the Minister.
Ar a laghad tá tuiscint ann anois go bhfuil gá chun gníomh a dhéanamh agus díriú isteach ar an gceist seo. Tá roinnt de na hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal ar an eolas faoin ngá díriú isteach ar an gceist, ach don chuid is mó tá siad ag caint faoi láthair ar modules a chur ar fáil sna cúrsaí, seachas go mbeadh an cúrsa iomlán i nGaeilge. Tá buntáiste ag an dá chóras, ach sa deireadh thiar thall, muna bhfuil an cúrsa ina iomláine trí Ghaeilge, déanann sé níos deacra do roinnt de na gairmeacha a chur i láthair i gceart as Gaeilge. Ní leor do dhochtúir a bheith in ann Gaeilge a labhairt. Is gá dóibh an t-eolas a bheith acu agus é a chur i láthair sa Ghaeilge theicniúil a bhainfeadh le dochtúir, innealtóir nó aon duine mar sin.
Is minic a fhaighim an cheist ar cé mhéad mac léinn san ardoideachas a dhéanann staidéar ar an nGaeilge. Ní rud simplí é líon na mac léinn atá ag déanamh staidéir ar an nGaeilge sa tríú leibhéal a oibriú amach ós rud é go gcuirfear an Ghaeilge ar fáil mar ghné riachtanach i gcuid mhór clár, lena n-áirítear formhór na gclár comhchéime onóracha BA. Léiríonn anailís a rinne an tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas le déanaí go raibh 420 mac léinn ag déanamh cúrsaí go hiomlán trí Ghaeilge sa bhliain acadúil 2023/2024 agus 2,625 eile ag déanamh cuid dá gcúrsaí trí Ghaeilge, á spreagadh go mór ag cúrsaí san earnáil oideachais. Ní áirítear leis na figiúirí seo, áfach, mic léinn atá cláraithe i gclár ginearálta BA inar féidir an Ghaeilge a thairiscint mar ábhar riachtanach.
Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Táimid ag díriú isteach ar cheann de na ceisteanna go gcaithfimid mic léinn a mhealladh isteach sa chóras chun na hábhair seo a dhéanamh. Ní bhíonn a fhios acu. Níl an cúrsa ar fáil. Faoin am atá sé ar fáil, tá na mic léinn seo tar éis bogadh ar aghaidh. Mar shampla, bhíodh céim san iriseoireacht ann go hiomlán trí Ghaeilge. Níl sé ann a thuilleadh, in ainneoin go bhfuil TG4 againn anois agus tá fás i ngach uile gné den saol ó thaobh na meán cumarsáide. Tá roinnt réimsí ar féidir linn daltaí a mhealladh isteach ann an-tapa. Tógfaidh sé i bhfad Éireann níos faide do chinn eile. Caithfidh straitéis a bheith ann ionas go bhfuil a fhios againn go bhfuil innealtóirí, dochtúirí, lianna de shóirt eile, fiú garraíodóirí agus a leithéid, go bhfuil an tomhas acadúil acu as Gaeilge, ní díreach an Ghaeilge.
Níor luaigh mé leis an Teachta Dála gur fhoghlaim mé mo chuid Gaeilge sa King’s Inns at the time. Tuigim an pointe sin. Tá an Roinn ag tacú le húsáid na Gaeilge ag an tríú leibhéal trí mhaoiniú a leithdháileadh ar institiúidí tríú leibhéal. Dáileadh €1.6 billiún ar institiúidí tríú leibhéal tríd an Údarás um Ard-Oideachas mar bhloc deontais chun tacú le soláthar oideachais tríú leibhéal lena n-áirítear soláthar don Ghaeilge. Arís, dáiltear €900,000 gach bliain tríd an soláthar speisialta chun tacú le húsáid na Gaeilge i measc foirne agus mac léinn ag an tríú leibhéal. Leithdháiltear €1.76 milliún gach bliain ar Ollscoil na Gaillimhe chun tacú le hAcadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge. Is scéim mheantóireachta, oiliúna agus gradaim é Gníomhaí Gaeilge do mhic léinn a bhfuil baint acu leis an nGaeilge ar an tríú leibhéal.
Student Accommodation
Eoghan Kenny
Ceist:211. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of purpose-built student accommodation beds that will be available in the State for the coming academic year; the amount that this has grown on the previous academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22017/26]
The activation of supply of student beds is of the utmost priority to me, my Department, the Government as a whole, to Deputy Kenny and I am sure to all in this House who take in an interest in the matter.
Since 2017, we have seen 16,266 purpose-built student accommodation beds completed nationwide, which brings the total stock to just under 50,000 around the country. At the end of March 2026, commencement notices issued in respect of 2,735 student beds, with a further 14,233 having planning permission but not yet been built out. In addition, planning permission has been applied for a further 1,684 beds that are coming through the system.
The projections contained within my student accommodation strategy, which I recently launched, indicate an emerging demand for approximately 42,000 additional student accommodation beds over the next decade, which underscores the scale of the challenge and opportunity. I should state that those 42,000 beds are not immediately required but they will be required as the decade progresses. However, there is undoubtedly a shortage of the beds that are required right now. It is not in the magnitude of that number but it is worth noting.
I am sure the Deputy has engaged with the new strategy which is published on the Government's website if people want to read it. It sets out a pathway to make higher education more accessible by promoting accommodation through addressing two critical challenges. The first is the affordability of accommodation by grant aid and additional supports to students to meet the costs of accommodation in lieu of commuting. The other challenge is around accommodation supply and viability and incentivising a greater rollout in the development of beds so that the 14,000 beds with planning permission that are not built out actually become activated. Affordability is delivered through a range of schemes, which I might speak about following the next supplementary question because I am watching the clock.
In relation to the student accommodation strategy, the Minister knows I am not in the business of criticising in any way, shape or form any new development and I welcome it. However, I will call out certain aspects of it that I do not perhaps agree with. We might differ on that but that is fine. I have a sense that the strategy itself is developer-led with an enormous reliance on the private market. It fails in very basic protections in terms of capping student rents and ensuring service charges cannot be used as an excuse to drive up the rent beyond the RPZ rate. The landlords will be able to reset the rents in between the tenancies. I am just noting these issues.
A final point is that it is vital that technological universities have opportunities to borrow in order to purchase land to build or fast track their own accommodation for students. I raise those points because at the committee on higher education, a number of students from Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, AMLÉ, came in and spoke with us about that.
I have just one point, and I know the Deputy has engaged in good faith, as he always does. I have to correct one statement he made, and perhaps it is just not widely known. Landlords actually cannot reset rents between tenancies and that is a very deliberate thing I inserted to the legislation following engagement with my colleague the Minister, Deputy Browne. In terms of regulation, overall, student tenancies are subject to the same base rules as any other residential property in the State or any other rental, with the additional safeguard that in a student tenancy the rent cannot be reset when tenants move into and move out of purpose-built student accommodation. This is for the very simple reason that the new RPZ rules allow a reset when a tenant vacates, or after a period of six years, whichever comes sooner. In the case of student accommodation, the students vacate naturally most summers, if not every summer, and I thought it would be unfair on the students to impose an additional rent reset on them every summer. That would make the properties very expensive indeed. I intervened and negotiated with the Minister, Deputy Browne, who in fairness was happy to accede to that request and that protection is contained in the legislation now.
I thank the Minister for clarifying that and I will correct the record on that. I also want to speak to the broader aspect of accommodation that is being used by students in our cities. Since the Minister has taken up his position, in regard to communication he has with the Minister, Deputy Browne, there has been a significant amount of it in relation his own strategy. For example, in regard to private rental accommodation students have, there has been a significant number of cases brought to my attention where students are living in private rental accommodation near University College Cork, MTU and other third level institutions, particularly in Cork because I am a representative from Cork, where the accommodation itself is generally not fit for purpose. Whether it is because the local authority does not have the manpower or there is a lack of availability, there are very few inspections going on within private rental accommodation. From my perspective as spokesperson on education, and from the Minister's perspective, does he believe it is now more essential? Is he in any conversation with the Minister, Deputy Browne, about the inspections of private rental accommodation being used by students?
I understand that the Deputy's question has a pertinence to students because they are living in the private residential sector but I do not want to trespass onto the brief of my colleague the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, in terms of the rules governing that.
While I cannot quite mandate it, I have strongly encouraged, and used any powers available to me, to suggest and request that where universities are advertising properties on their student portals or websites they should only do so where they have met basic standards. The rent-a-room scenario is one of the ways that digs accommodation is being provided. We have a sample licence agreement, which we have published on the website. I have asked my officials to examine whether that can be enforced in the sense in order for any publicly-funded higher education institution to market it properly through the different student platforms and student union campaigns, which I appreciate most student unions are embarking on, that this would meet minimum standards including signing up to that licence agreement. That would be a very reasonable request.
In his opening remarks the Deputy mentioned the technological universities so I will speak to that briefly. There is a programme for Government commitment to give them a formal framework. That is delivered in this strategy.