The government must protect students from being ripped-off when it comes to accommodation, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins.<\/p>\n
Speaking in support of today\u2019s protest, Deputy Cummins said:<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s cross-party protest with AML\u00c9 (formerly known as the Union of Students Ireland) called on the government to address the hardship faced by students when it comes to accommodation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier this month, the Department of Housing proposed that rents for private student accommodation can only be reset every three years – however, it was reported that the Department of Further and Higher Education is at odds with this position and wants to allow for two resets to market rents during this period.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether these adjustments happen every year or every three years, the principle doesn\u2019t change; rents should not be allowed to reset to market rates.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents are being forced to commute long distances as they struggle to secure accommodation away from home, and for those who have, they\u2019re faced with working long hours to fund their rent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe interests of commercial operators cannot be put above the needs of students and their families at a time when accommodation costs are already acting as a barrier to accessing higher education.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents should be enabled to develop their love of learning and live a full, happy life in college, but the pressures they\u2019re faced with have become unassailable for many.<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestment in public and Higher Education Institute-owned student housing, improved protections for those renting in the private sector, and policy decisions that prioritise affordability over developer incentives must be at the top of the government\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to education should never be determined by how wealthy someone who wishes to learn is – it\u2019s time to eradicate this inequality and support our students.\u201d<\/p>\n
December 18th, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The government must protect students from being ripped-off when it comes to accommodation, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Speaking in support of today\u2019s protest, Deputy Cummins said: \u201cToday\u2019s cross-party protest with AML\u00c9 (formerly known as the Union of Students Ireland) called on the government to address the hardship faced by students when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,581,7,731],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-housing-crisis","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release","category-students"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n