Lawless expects thousands of student beds to be made available

Minister for Higher Education James Lawless. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Thousands of student accommodation beds will be freed up from Ukrainian refugees for the next academic year, the higher education minister has said.

James Lawless said there will be significant vacancies emerging before September, but that there will be some sites left for Ukrainian refugees: 

The trend has shifted somewhat in recent months. Ukrainian people, in particular, are more settled here by and large. Many people are now in the community, many people are now at work or of course at education. 

“People are finding their own way and that has meant that there are some vacancies emerging in accommodation.

“Fundamentally, some of the beds that were being occupied were student accommodation, purpose built student accommodation in some cases, and I’m very keen that we would restore that for its original purpose.”

Mr Lawless said there are a “number of sites” he expects to become available for third-level students in September, but he flagged that not every student accommodation centre would be vacant.

However, he said those rooms which do become available must be ring-fenced for students into the future.

“But I’m mindful of the ongoing pressures, we can’t just put people out either,” Mr Lawless said.

There’s a reason people were accommodated in the first place, that reason still stands for people who haven’t managed to make their own way. 

He was not able to provide a direct figure on the number of beds that would become available but said it would be into “the couple of thousands”.

Mr Lawless said every student bed coming back into the system is a “win” as students and college executives have been calling for more student accommodation.

“Part of that goes into the quality of life, the student experience. If you’re commuting long distances, or even middling distances, to college every day, often maybe driving or on public transport, you’re not getting to take part in the societies, the friendships, all the things that go into student life.”

He added it could also be impacting on academic performance, if students are spending long times on the road or on the train.

“It’s something that has to be core to the next couple of years and I will be prioritising the delivery of student accommodation,” Mr Lawless said.

Meanwhile, the Fianna Fáil minister was questioned about the lack of progress on legislation in the Dáil due to large portions of time being spent on debates and statements.

Mr Lawless said it is “not for the want of trying on the part of the government”, while criticising the opposition for its reaction to proposed speaking rights changes in the Dáil.

The Kildare North TD said reforms to the Dáil in 2016 were “overgenerous” to the opposition.

“I think the row that has erupted has actually just shone a light as far as I’m concerned on an inequality that maybe has been there for the last 10 years but actually hasn’t been ventilated until now.”