SOME 405 STUDENT beds in DCU are to be financed by the government to house SUSI recipients and other students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris this evening received Cabinet approval for €41 million to fund the accommodation.

The beds, which have planning permission on the DCU campus, will be targeted at SUSI applicants or students from other disadvantaged cohorts.

The project is the first phase of an overall development of 1,230 beds. The funding sought will be phased over four years.

Last year, Harris announced that 700 student beds would be part-funded by the government and rented out at a reduced rate.

Harris told Cabinet this evening that there is ongoing engagement with Trinity College and UCD over accommodation projects, and more beds may be delivered in Cork and Galway.

The government’s Housing For All plan includes a commitment to potential options for State supports to accelerate the delivery of purpose-built student accommodation.

Currently, most accommodation of this kind is privately owned and run, with high rents.

Housing for All commits to developing a policy for potential long-term state support for the construction of purpose-built student accommodation for wider application across all HEIs by end-Q2.