Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills The measures in place to provide added protection for those living in student-specific accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36848/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In 2019, in response to steep increases in the price of some student accommodation, legislation was brought in to ensure that students would have the same affordability measures as tenants within Rent Pressure Zones. Student accommodation will be similarly included in any future measures brought in around Rent Pressure Zones and caps on rent increases. Under the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 students residing in student-specific accommodation under licence agreements also have access to the Dispute Resolution Services of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

Affordability must be a key pillar in the student accommodation sector and my Department has been working with the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government on measures to ensure greater affordability of student accommodation. Legislation is being progressed which will restrict the up-front payments required to secure accommodation, including student accommodation, to no more than the equivalent of two months’ rent, and limit payments thereafter to on month’s rent at a time. At present this legislation is passing through the Oireachtas, and it is intended for it to be enacted in time for the beginning of the new academic year.

This legislation was discussed with stakeholders in the sector at most recent meeting of the Working Group on Student Accommodation, and affordability will continue to be one of the key topics of discussion in future meetings.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports in place to assist universities in the construction of purpose-built student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36849/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Student Accommodation Strategy is designed to ensure that there is an increased level of supply of purpose built student accommodation to reduce the demand for accommodation in the private rental sector by both domestic and international students attending our Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Several of the actions in this strategy centre around ensuring that HEIs have access to low-cost financing in order to support their building of student accommodation.

One of these actions involved the introduction of legislation to empower the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) to lend directly to HEIs for the development of students accommodation. This legislation was commenced in 2017, and so far three universities - TCD, UCC and UCD have had a total of €157 million in loans approved by the HFA, which will provide more than 1,400 new student bed spaces.

Last month I, along with my colleagues the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, announced that €75 million of financing had been successfully sourced for the Council of Europe Bank for the building of student accommodation in universities.

My Department and I will continue to work to ensure that our HEIs have access to the financing they need to build student accommodation.