CALL US 0598640287 mark.wall@oir.ie
Senator Mark Wall
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Are you registered to Vote?
  • Contact
Contact Us
  • Home
  • /
  • Uncategorized
  • /
  • Student Accommodation

Student Accommodation

October 26, 2021 markwalllabour@gmail.com No Comments Uncategorized

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage


I support Senator Moynihan for bringing this Bill before us. It is very important to give the support that has been given throughout the House given its importance to our student population and how we treat those who are the future of our country. As my Labour Party colleagues said, we have a crisis in student accommodation but it is one that did not need to happen. I am glad the Government is not opposing this Bill, which would stop developers using the loopholes they are using at the moment to convert purpose-built student accommodation to accommodation for tourists thereby creating a crisis for so many of our student population.

Seanad Éireann debate –
Wednesday, 20 Oct 2021

What is happening here is having a knock-on effect throughout the country as students are left with no option but to continue to live at home and commute to college. In many cases, students are paying the equivalent of Dublin rents to commute but they are losing out on college life due to the lack of accommodation near their colleges. Over the past number of weeks, my office has been inundated with stories from students who are paying a phenomenal amount to commute to college. This should be good news for them from one perspective in that staying at home gives them the opportunity to save. However, the problem is that train stations such Portarlington, Monasterevin, Athy, Kildare town and Newbridge are outside the short hop zone and students cannot use their Leap cards. One student from Monasterevin contacted me to say he is paying €20 in train fares and €7 in bus fares per day to get to college so instead of saving, he is paying more than €100 per week. He might as well be staying in Dublin, if only he could get the accommodation to do so.

The delay in the first instalment of the SUSI grant is also have a significant impact on students who are commuting. A student from Newbridge told me recently that she is paying €288 for a monthly ticket to Dublin. Under the SUSI grant, she is due €320 but this has not yet kicked in so she is already out of pocket and the year has just started. In a year where seasonal work was interrupted to an unprecedented degree, students deserve better than this. Before the pandemic, SUSI grants were not enough to cover the basic costs of living and the delayed payment is adding to the financial worries of families at this stressful time. The budget included the welcome introduction of the youth travel card but it seems as if this will take some time to get up and running and will not help these students at this particular time who find themselves paying so much for staying at home while losing out in such an important year in their college life.

What has been created for many students this year is a perfect storm just as so many of them are coming out of the nightmare of the past two years. I have spoken to many parents and students from the towns of south Kildare who are forced to travel at massive cost or bunk in with other students in overcrowded accommodation because of the greed of some. Some have told me that the accommodation available previously to them and their fellow students is simply no longer there and the search had to go on and on. Of course, this crisis is not helped by the words of some in authority who should know better. Student-specific accommodation should be for students, not for some developers to move the goalposts at times convenient to them and then profit on the back of those changes.

Developers have applied for more than 1,000 students beds to become tourist accommodation. This is simply not good enough. Students from all over the State are struggling to find accommodation. It is easy to see where the problem is when one hears that purpose-built beds are being taken out of the market for students. This Bill will ensure that students and their families have the choice, and, as important for so many given the current constraints in SUSI grants, affordable accommodation. Our students deserve more and it is about time we recognise their long-term value to this country. It is time to stop rewarding others with short-term gains at the expense of our students, who are our future.

More about Mark www.labour.ie/markwall – https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/search/?q=mark+wall

Share:
prev post next post

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • 8/3/23 – Silent Sidelines
  • 8/3/23 – Energy Prices
  • Silent Sidelines campaign needed to stop referee abuse
  • CONFUSION OVER EVICTION BAN HIGHLIGHTS GOVERNMENT HOUSING FAILURE
  • Short hop zone update: Rail travel Kildare

Recent Comments

    Categories

    • ADHD (2)
    • Athy (4)
    • Autism (5)
    • Castledermot (1)
    • Childcare (4)
    • Community (4)
    • Defence Forces (1)
    • Education (8)
    • Energy Prices (1)
    • Family (7)
    • GAA (2)
    • Housing (3)
    • Kildare County Council (1)
    • Medication (1)
    • Pension (1)
    • Public Transport (2)
    • Soccer (1)
    • Social Welfare (2)
    • South Kildare (4)
    • Tourism (1)
    • Transport (6)
    • Uncategorized (107)

    Recent Posts

    • 8/3/23 – Silent Sidelines

      March 12, 2023
    • 8/3/23 – Energy Prices

      March 12, 2023
    • Silent Sidelines campaign needed to stop

      March 6, 2023

    Archives

    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    Footer logo

    Spokesperson on Defence, Tourism and Sport. Working for you, your family and your community

    CONTACT US

    If you have any issue concerning you please contact us

    Address: Office 15, Leinster Street, Athy
    Phone: 0598640287
    Mobile: 0833341488
    Email : mark.wall@oir.ie

    Twitter

    Facebook

    Website Design by Irish web services. All rights reserved

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT