Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

325. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of loans provided by the Housing and Finance Agency to each institute of higher education for each year data is available; the amount of financing drawn down to date from each institute of higher education for each year data is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45964/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Housing Finance Agency (HFA) was established by the Housing Finance Agency Act, 1981 and its function is to advance loan finance to local authorities, the voluntary housing sector and Higher Education Institutes, to be used by them for any purpose authorised by the Housing Acts, 1966-2014, and to borrow or raise funds for this purpose.

The Housing Finance Act 1981 was amended in 2016 by Section 51 of the Planning and Development (Housing) Act Residential Tenancies Act 2016 to allow the HFA to lend to Universities for the purposes of student accommodation.

Since that time almost €170 million of loans have been approved for over 1,400 units of accommodation in UCD, Trinity and UCC. A breakdown of the loans approved are set out in the table below:

With regard to Housingfor All, Section 3.6.3 (Facilitate Lending for Social and Affordable Housing) foresees the HFA’s role being expanded to enhance the supply of student accommodation by allowing them to lend to Technological Universities. A commitment is made to legislate for this and the relevant Action Point is 18.10.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

326. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of student accommodation providers that have received planning permission to rezone for other purposes in each year since 2011; the number of student beds that this has removed from the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45965/21]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

366. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of student beds that have been lost in each year for which data is available due to purpose-built student accommodation being provided with planning permission to covert for alternative uses; if this has been done on a permanent or temporary basis; the duration in the case of temporary permission; the alternative use approved in each case whether short-term, tourist letting, co-living and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46574/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 326 and 366 together.

The specific information requested by the Deputy regarding the number of student beds lost each year due to purpose-built student accommodation being granted change of use planning permission, and the number of student accommodation providers that have received planning permission for change of use of such accommodation either on a temporary or permanent basis, is not available in my Department.

Planning statistics are compiled by each planning authority on an annual basis for collation and publication on my Department’s website, at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/service/9e4ee-get-planning-statistics/

However, the data collected relates to the total number of planning applications and decisions for all developments that require planning permission, broken down by year and planning authority (but not broken down by reason for the grant or refusal of permission), by the duration of the permission, nor the type of development involved. Such information may be sought directly from the relevant planning authority.

In addition, the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical office, compiles and makes available detailed data on a number of planning related issues including permissions granted and completions by development type and county. Data is available at the following link on the CSO website: www.cso.ie/en/statistics/construction/planningpermissions/