alan kelly runing for deputy leader 2 752x501

UCD Students’ Union President hits out at “unresponsive” Minister Alan Kelly

Op-Ed by Marcus O’Halloran, President of UCD Students’ Union and Tipperary native for Tipperary Times. UCD Students’ Union is the largest students’ union in Ireland.

The accommodation crisis in the student market is not a Dublin city issue, it’s a national issue. Nothing could be clearer to me as a Tipp native from a strong rural background. The fact is lack of affordable beds for students in Dublin impacts hardest on young people based outside that county – on students from Tipperary, Cavan & Longford. They’re generally not familiar with the Dublin market and they’ve a long and pricey commute if they’re unsuccessful in finding somewhere to stay.

196619-181633 (1)

As such, it’s a shocking disgrace that Alan Kelly, Minister for the Environment & TD for my own constituency in Tipperary, won’t schedule a meeting on student accommodation with students’ union representatives. His Cabinet role gives him special responsibility on housing. His job at both a national level and a constituency level means that housing for students should be a priority issue. However, in spite of those facts, he refuses to meet with representatives to discuss the issue.

His unresponsiveness is not particular to UCD Students’ Union but extends even to the Office of An Tánaiste Joan Burton— as, following a request on my part earlier this summer, Joan Burton’s Office asked for arrangements to be made for a meeting with Alan Kelly on the current student housing crisis. While I am unaware of whether a response was made to the Tánaiste herself, I do know her instructions were not acted upon and that there wasn’t even the vague promise of a meeting issued by Alan Kelly’s Office following her correspondence.

It’s unclear why it is this difficult to meet with Minister Alan Kelly on a national issue he is tasked with tackling. There are over 80,000 students attending college in Dublin from all parts of this country, including a significant contingent from Tipperary. They are being priced out of the rental market because young families & young professionals can’t afford to buy a house. There is a severe shortage of purpose-built student accommodation and rates are climbing in the centre, Dublin South and around the close-commuter belt. As a result, many students will be forced to make long, daily journeys in from counties like Tipperary following a housing scramble in August and September.

alan_kelly

Preliminary reports released this week from the Higher Education Authority suggest this situation could continue for the next 10 years unless the Government takes decisive action. As President of the largest Students’ Union in the country, representing 30,000+ students, I would very much like to co-operate on plotting out the quickest, feasible course of action. Or, at least, to be assured that one is being planned to come into effect for the near future.

As it stands, I’m being met with a blank wall that even the Tánaiste couldn’t help me climb over. Perhaps the most frustrating part is that Alan Kelly was one of a number of politicians clamouring to praise young voters following May 22nd and marriage equality. He was one of several prominent Labour Party members to praise younger citizens for their part in the referendum victory. While I wouldn’t question his sincerity on the day, it’s important the Minister realize there truly is a large amount of newly registered 18-24 year olds in his constituency— they are worth talking to and meeting on issues which affect their future like lack of affordable housing.

He can continue to ignore them but he does so at his own political peril.


Posted

in

, ,

by

Tags: