Young Fine Gael (YFG) has responded to the Government’s latest housing plan with a blend of cautious optimism and mounting frustration. While the organisation welcomes the extension of the First Home and Help to Buy schemes, measures it has long supported, it remains sharply critical of the continued delay in publishing the Student Accommodation Strategy 2025 – 2035.
YFG expressed serious concern over the Government’s failure to deliver on its promise to publish a comprehensive student accommodation strategy. The strategy was originally due to be updated in 2024 and released in the second half of 2025. As of mid-November, no publication date has been confirmed, and the issue was notably absent from Budget 2026.
“Where is the Student Accommodation Strategy?” asked Jamie Malone. “We are now well into Q4, and students are still waiting. The lack of urgency is deeply disappointing. Students are facing record-high rents, sofa-surfing, and a shortage of purpose-built accommodation. This delay is costing them their education, their wellbeing, and their future.”
YFG is calling on the Minister for Further and Higher Education to immediately clarify the timeline for publication and ensure the strategy includes:
- Clear targets for new student housing developments
- Dedicated funding streams and incentives for universities and private developers
- Innovative delivery models such as modular builds and public-private partnerships
- Regional equity to ensure access across all higher education institutions
“Students have already been “dealt” a hard card and should not be an afterthought. We are central to Ireland’s future,” said Jamie Malone. “We need action – not vague promises. The Government must publish the strategy before year-end and commit to delivering real solutions.”
ENDS