Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
194. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the level of consultation that took place with student unions before the announcement of the Student Accommodation Strategy; if any of their specific requests were included in the Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34730/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI engaged extensively with student representatives & other stakeholders in advance of publishing the National Student Accommodation Strategy in March 2026.
I met with AMLÉ on the 17th of June 2025, and then with a further fifteen student union representatives between the 23rd of June, and the 9th and 10th of September.
I meet student representatives on a regular basis, including recently, to discuss student accommodation and related matters and I am due to meet with AMLÉ again this month.
In addition, officials from my Department met student union representatives on the 27th of August as part of a broader programme of engagement on the emerging strategy.
Importantly, students weren’t just consulted at a high level, they were directly involved in a structured stakeholder process that helped shape the standardised design for State-supported student accommodation. That process brought together students, higher education institutions and industry to ensure that what we’re delivering is practical, inclusive and grounded in real-world experience.
In addition the Higher Education Authority, in conjunction with my department undertook student surveys in both 2023 and 2024 that directly informed the developing strategy. There were 14,230 student responses in 2024 and 22,801 in 202
A key pillar of the Strategy is to improve affordability for students, and we’re taking a balanced and sustainable approach to achieve that. On one hand, we’re improving the viability of delivering new accommodation through standardised, efficient design, helping to reduce costs and enable delivery at scale. On the other, students are assisted directly through financial supports.
By decoupling delivery and affordability, we are putting in place a model that increases supply and directly assists students with costs.
