THOUSANDS OF BEDS used to accommodate Ukrainians fleeing the war are expected to be freed up for student accommodation this year, the Higher Education Minister has said.

The Government turned to housing originally designed for students as part of its response to the more than 100,000 Ukrainians who were accommodated in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive.

The previous higher education minister, Patrick O’Donovan, had requested that existing student accommodation contracts “be released as a priority” to ensure the return of 2,000 beds to student accommodation supply for students for the upcoming academic year and beyond.

O’Donovan’s successor James Lawless said there was a need to “get back to basics” on student accommodation, adding: “It is for students, the clue is in the name.”

Lawless said the trend which saw the government struggle with providing accommodation for Ukrainians and other asylum seekers has “shifted somewhat in recent months”.

“Ukrainian people in particular are more settled here by and large. Many people are now in the community, many people are now at work or in education.

“So people are sort of finding their own way, and that has meant that there are some vacancies emerging in accommodation.”

Lawless said some of the beds which were being occupied were originally purpose built for student accommodation.

“I’m very keen that we would restore that for its original purpose- which was student accommodation – and put them back into use,” he said.

“So we have a number of sites right across the country that are coming available, or expect to come available.”

Pressed on whether he expected all student accommodation beds to be made free, Lawless said: “There’s a number of sites which we expect to come available between now and the summer, I would expect those to be back in circulation for students in September, starting the new academic year.

“But not every centre is necessarily going to be vacant.”

The minister said he would be “encouraging” those sites to be freed up and ring fenced for student accommodation.

“But also I’m mindful of the ongoing pressures,” he added. “We can’t just put people out either, there’s a reason people were accommodated in the first place.”

Asked about a specific figure of student accommodation spaces to be made available, Lawless said he estimated it to be “a couple of thousand”.

He said the spaces would be in Sligo, Cork, and Limerick.

Lawless was speaking to the media at the inaugural intake of digital marketing apprentices to the civil service at Government Buildings.

The 12 apprentices have been recruited across 10 government organisations.