Rose Conway-Walsh warns of student housing crisis at ATU Castlebar
Rose Conway-Walsh raised urgent concerns about student accommodation, focusing on DIGS accommodation and the Atlantic Technology University Castlebar campus. She urged that student accommodation must be registered and warned there is no accommodation pipeline for ATU Castlebar.
Concerns about DIGS accommodation
She said there are serious problems with DIGS accommodation and referenced legislation introduced last year by colleagues Oan O'Brien and Maread Farrell. She acknowledged the minister's point that emergency measures should not shut down accommodation streams but stressed the need for standards and oversight.
Call for registration and reference to Students' Union
Rose Conway-Walsh said registration is essential and pointed to the work and concerns of the Students' Union as reinforcing that position. She argued that registration can protect students while allowing emergency accommodation to remain available.
ATU Castlebar accommodation shortage
She reported meeting the Students' Union at the Atlantic Technology University Castlebar campus and said there is currently no accommodation and no pipeline to meet student housing needs. She noted that existing student accommodation has been repurposed, preventing the necessary expansion of university towns.
Minister notes ATU Sligo land purchase and local concerns
In response, the minister said the purchase of 16 acres by ATU Sligo on a site opposite the college campus was recently sanctioned and suggested development will come on stream in due course. The minister acknowledged local politics in Mayo and indicated he may return to details of the Mayo situation.
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Minister, I want to wish you well in your role as well. I held this role myself that our own colleague Donna McGettigan has now, and it's one I very much enjoyed, and it's an area that I see that you can make huge progress in, not least on accommodation. There are serious problems with DIGS accommodation, that's why my colleagues Oan O'Brien and Maread Farrell last year introduced the legislation around this. I take what you say around this is an emergency measure and you don't want to shut down any streams of accommodation, but it is absolutely essential that this accommodation needs to be registered. If you're listening to the Students' Union and the great work that they're doing around there, I have huge concerns as well around the Atlantic Technology University Castlebar campus, where I met with the Students' Union there two weeks ago. There is no accommodation, there is no accommodation in the pipeline even for that. The accommodation, existing student accommodation that was there has been repurposed. We cannot have situations where we have the potential for university towns, but the accommodation isn't there, so it doesn't allow it to expand in the way that it needs to. Thank you. Thank you Deputy Altera. Thank you very much Deputy, and this is related to ATU, so I recently sanctioned the purchase of 16 acres by ATU Sligo on a site just opposite the college campus, which you may be aware of, and I think that will certainly come on stream in due course. You're talking about Mayo, all politics is local, so I understand that. I might have to come back to the details of the Mayo situation Deputy. Thank you.
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