Minister Coveney hears from new SU president
HOUSING minister Simon Coveney spent more than three hours talking and listening to DkIT students, including newly elected SU president Pauraic Renaghan during a visit to the Dublin Road campus last week.
Minister Coveney spoke to students about the government’s Ireland 2040 plan and also heard about their concerns on a number of issues including accommodation, Brexit, jobs and mental health.
Pauraic said the minister’s visit went very well and during his meeting with him, vice president, Aaron Geoghegan, and former president Aaron Lawless, the SU president talked about accommodation shortages and what can be done to incentivise landlords to provide homes for students. Minister Coveney told them about the government’s plans for additional accommodation for 18,000 and added that Dundalk is included.
In addition, the problem of ITs not being able to borrow money to use towards accommodation construction or other projects was discussed with the minister saying the government is looking at legislation at the moment to perhaps change that or allow colleges to team up with private companies to construct accommodation.
On the issue of Brexit, Minister Coveney was upbeat, particularly about Dundalk, Pauraic said. The SU president said: ‘Minister Coveney told us he believes that Brexit presents opportunities for Dundalk and pointed to the Craigavon company Almac’s move to the town earlier this year.
‘He believes that Dundalk is in a good position to benefit from anything positive that may come from Brexit’. They also talked about how DkIT students from the North and the possibility of them having to pay fees if they’re out of the EU. It is hoped, Pauraic said, that Northern students would continue to be treated as EU citizens in this regards post Brexit.
Renewable energy, as provided by DkIT’s wind turbine, along with social housing, a united Ireland, additional funding for social care workers, mental healthcare and other issues were discussed when Minister Coveney spoke to a large number of students at a campus event, hosted by RTE’s Ciaran Mullooly and there was a lively question and answer session with the minister and students moderated by Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
The event was also attended by Fine Gael’s Louth TDs, Peter Fitzpatrick and Fergus O’Dowd, along with Fiannan Fail TD Declan Breathnach.
Pauraic said: ‘ There was great engagement from the minister about the various issues that we raised and it was great to be involved in something like this in my first week as SU president.