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DESPITE PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS to expedite a ban on the practice of forcing students to take leases longer than their term times, it is now unclear whether the legislation will be amended before the Dáil breaks for its summer recess.
TDs and Senators are set to break from Leinster House in three weeks time, with no legislation progressed between then and September.
At the end of May, Minister for Further and Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien brought a memo to Cabinet to speed up the legal change that will outlaw 51-week leases for students.
However, with just three weeks left ahead of the Dáil recess, it is now unclear if the legislation will be updated in time for the September semester.
Earlier this year, The Journal reported that some students in Dublin were told they need to pay on average €3,000 more per year for their accommodation because private accommodation providers were extending their leases beyond term time.
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Following this, in February, then Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris committed to amending legislation to crack down on the practice.
When asked for an update on the amendment this week by The Journal Taoiseach Simon Harris said he wants to see it done before the Dáil summer recess.
“It was a priority for me when I was in that role. I know it’s a priority for Minister O’Brien and Minister O’Donovan.
“There are too many people who are, if not acting outside the letter of the law, are definitely acting outside the spirit of it… and it remains a priority for me to resolve it,” he said.
However a spokesperson for the Department of Further and Higher Education would not commit to a timeline.
When asked for an update on the legislation, the spokesperson said the memo brought to Cabinet last month provided an update on the process and cited the intention “to examine the options” relating to the issue.
“Both Departments have been working closely in recent months so that these changes can be made as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary hardship and additional costs on students and their families,” the spokesperson said.
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