Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 November 2021
344. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of loan applications to the Housing Finance Agency from higher education institutions that have not been approved in each year since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54581/21]
View answerThe Housing Finance Agency (HFA) was established under the Housing Finance Agency Act 1981. The Act 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 various Universities.
My understanding is that each application received by the HFA from Higher Education Institutions for loan finance to support the development of on-campus accommodation is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and is currently subject to approval by the Board of the HFA. As such, approval or otherwise of loan applications is an operational matter for the HFA itself. My Department has no involvement in the matter, nor is any information relating to individual loan applications held by my Department.
