Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said he wants to introduce a new cost-rental model of student accommodation, in which the state would take an equity stake.
Harris said he believes the state should take on a larger role in student accommodation, saying that the current model for student housing isn’t working.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s This Week programme yesterday, Harris said that over 12,000 additional student beds have been delivered since 2016, but he does not believe that additional beds are the “key” to solving the problem of affordability.
“There’s another 10,000 now with planning permission, and 1,000 or higher going through the planning process”, he said. “Being honest, though … it kind of misses the point. The accommodation isn’t always affordable.”
“We’ve asked colleges – and we’ll be intensifying this – to identify any buildings that may be near the college that could be quickly converted to student accommodation for this September.”
He continued: “We’re trying to come up with a new cost rental model for students. We have over 10,000 college accommodation beds with planning permission, but they’re not being built yet. Why aren’t they being built? Because at the moment, the model isn’t right.”
“We need, as a state, to get much more involved in terms of pulling up our sleeves and actually taking an equity stake in student accommodation. So I want to bring forward a cost-rental model with Minister [Darragh] O’Brien where you would see colleges building student accommodation on campus, the state taking a stake in that, and in return the college is capping its rent at an affordable level.”
Harris also spoke about his wish to reduce the student registration charge, but conceded that he has to be “conscious of process”, adding that the issue of core funding to universities had to be addressed as well.
“There’s no point giving with one hand and taking away with the other”, he said. “I will be bringing proposals to Government on how we deal with this in the round. And, of course, decisions around funding are matters for the budgetary process but I’ve been very clear in relation to my ambition.”
“I would like to reduce the fees but I obviously am part of a collective Government and need to work my way through the processes.”
“Any package we bring forward in relation to a sustainable model can’t just be sustainable for the universities, it has to be sustainable for students and their families.”
Last month, the Irish Times reported that the government was set to consider a plan to cut the student contribution charge by up to €1,000.
However, a proposal due to be brought to Cabinet in February is unlikely to include the specific amount by which the contribution charge would be reduced.
Should the government accept the proposal, the reduction is unlikely to be specified until October, when the budget is released. However, the Irish Times reported that a cut of up to €1,000 could be sought.
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said in a Fine Gael newsletter: “We believe the contribution fee is too high and prevents many people from accessing higher education” and “we want to change that”.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said that it welcomed the prospect of a reduction of fees but would continue to campaign for a full abolition of the charge.
