Harmon slams Government failure on student housing
Harmon slams Government failure on student housing - The Labour Party
Labour’s Further and Higher Education Spokesperson Senator Laura Harmon has condemned Government for failing to address the worsening student accommodation crisis, following the news that UCD now has the most expensive campus room in the country at €11,888 for the academic year. Senator Harmon said the news is a stark reminder that the housing crisis is cutting off access to education for many. She called for urgent action, including increased direct capital investment in affordable student housing and the introduction of a rent index to protect students from unsustainable annual increases.
Senator Harmon said:
“Every year, we hear the same heartbreaking stories – young people sleeping on couches, travelling hours to and from campus, or deferring their education altogether because they simply can’t find or afford somewhere to live. This is not access to education – it is exclusion by neglect.
“Much of the student accommodation coming on stream is luxury-priced and entirely out of reach for most students. It’s not solving the problem – it’s making it worse. Unless Government steps in with real solutions, we are condemning a generation to stress and debt. Meanwhile, students don’t have clarity on the student contribution fee – the fee must not be increased. Students are at the hard edge of the housing crisis, and they need a government that understands the urgency of their situation.
“Labour has consistently called for a substantial increase in direct capital investment in purpose-built student accommodation, to ensure affordable options are available in every higher education institution. Relying on private developers to meet demand will only lead to more luxury blocks that ordinary students cannot afford.
“We also need a rent index for student accommodation, so students and their families are protected from unfair, unregulated rent hikes. A year-to-year spike of €100 or €150 a month is simply not sustainable. Without this safeguard, students will continue to face crippling costs that force them to make impossible choices about their future.
“The student accommodation crisis is a test of political priorities. Labour believes in education as a right, not a privilege. That means tackling housing costs head-on, building affordable supply, and ensuring students can actually attend the courses they’ve worked hard to get into.
“Government must stop paying lip service and start delivering. The longer they delay, the more students will be priced out, and the more our society will lose the talent, ambition and energy that higher education should be nurturing. It’s time for decisive action – not another year of empty promises.”