The housing minister's called for a "dramatic increase" in campus accommodation for students.

Simon Coveney says he wants modular housing to be considered for huge developments on, or near, college campuses.

The minister says student have different housing needs to families, and shouldn't be looking for the same accommodation.

And he's begun meeting colleges to see what kind of accommodation can be produced for them:

The comments came after the minister had earlier revealed the government would miss its own deadline for publishing the Action Plan for Housing.

The plan was due to be published within the first 100 days of the new administration - but the deadline will now be scrapped because it would otherwise be published in mid-August.

Coveney has also floated the prospect of removing large land banks from state-owned agencies like Irish Rail.

He has earmarked land areas in the centre of Limerick, Cork and Athlone which will never be used for rail purposes, and which should be used for building instead: