Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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234. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of all purpose-built student accommodation complexes opened in the past 12 months nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38097/18]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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In July 2016, the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness identified the under-supply of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) in Ireland and the significant related adverse impact that this deficit was having on the wider private rental sector. The increased provision of PBSA was established as a key priority in addressing the current wider housing crisis.

My Department is continuing to support the Department of Education and Skills, through the Inter-Departmental Working Group on Student Accommodation, in examining the issue of student housing and potential policy measures to increase accommodation supply. This Group which includes stakeholders from the Higher Education Institutes, Union of Students in Ireland and other Government Departments highlighted important issues in developing new student accommodation projects, including the planning and development finance aspects in assembling new development projects.

The work of this Group led directly to the initiation of reforms in the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 which provided for the fast-tracking of planning applications for student housing construction projects of greater than 200 bed-spaces directly to An Bord Pleanála. In addition, the legislation provides for the availability of low-cost financing from the Housing Finance Agency to the Higher Education Institutes specifically for new student accommodation projects in order to support the delivery of new accommodation projects.

Recent analysis from the Higher Education Authority has indicated that, by May 2018, some 3,000 bedspaces had been delivered since the publication of Rebuilding Ireland and a further 7,250 bedspaces were under construction nationally. In addition, over 7,000 bedspaces had received planning permission but were yet to commence construction and planning permission was being sought for a further 1,200.