2026-05-20

We should all recognise the value of short-term letting to rural economies. Of course, the Government should also recognise this. I appreciate the work that has been done in this regard by the Ministers involved. There are 1,800 short-term lets in Kerry worth over €17 million to the county's economy. On the Wild Atlantic Way between Kerry and Donegal, there are over 6,800 short-term lets all in rural counties across the west coast, which is worth €256 million to our economy. Over the weekend, the Minister, Deputy James Browne, stated that regulations around short-term letting will be among the most stringent in the EU. I have worries about exactly what that means. I do not want it to seem or to be that this Government is attacking people involved in short-term lettings because that is not what we should be doing. Of course, we should be doing everything we can to provide housing but in doing that, we have to recognise that people who have been involved in short-term lets for years and years are providing a service in the local economy. They are keeping the local shop, the local pub and the local restaurant going. The register is very welcome. The industry welcomes it but the delays and the lack of details and clarity are not helpful. There is nobody involved in short-term letting who says they do not want a register; that is not the case. The whole issue of planning is terrifying business people who operate in the sector and it should not be so. Of course, for people who are established and have been there for a number of years there should be a grandfather clause in place. Their planning permission should be the fact that they have been at it for a certain number of years. That is the answer to that and it would tick the box on that issue. I have no sympathy for a person who comes along now and wants to buy a house here in Dublin, in Kerry or anywhere and they want to change that house and make it into a short-term let. Of course, they should have the opportunity. They can apply for planning permission. They can go through all the rigours that we put in place and I have no problem with that because we want to stop accommodation going out of long-term residential into short-term letting. However, the poor person who has been at it all along should really be left alone. My main questions for the Minister would be as follows: what does he mean by the most stringent regulations in Europe? I see that as an upset and, being mild about it, a worry to the people involved in that business. Will the Department of housing commit to publishing a national planning statement, NPs, for short-term letting as soon as possible to be helpful to the sector? Will the Minister ensure that planning exemptions will be in place for those who have been operating for seven years or more? Most importantly, will those properties be deemed planning compliant by having a grandfather clause? We have to do something like that to protect the people. What about someone with a property at the back of their house, farm or wherever who was never going to change that from short-term letting to long-term letting? Instead of helping we would actually be hurting because we would be taking a viable business out of a community.

I thank the Deputy for highlighting this important issue. I am taking this on behalf the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has drafted the general scheme of the short-term letting and tourism, STLT, Bill in full alignment with the EU short-term rental regulation, which is what the Deputy is talking about. We have a collaborative approach between enterprise and tourism. The introduction of the STLT Bill will provide a more effective legal and administrative basis to regulate short-term lettings. The Bill, when enacted, will provide a statutory basis for the introduction of a register for all short-term lettings in Ireland, which will be implemented and managed by Fáilte Ireland. All short-term letting accommodation providers will be required to register with Fáilte Ireland. As part of the registration process, accommodation providers will need to confirm that they are planning compliant, one of the issues the Deputy mentioned. The Government has approved a threshold-based approach to generally preclude new planning permissions for short-term lets in larger towns and cities where, often, long-term residential housing need is significant. Further to this, the Cabinet committee on housing has proposed that the threshold be set at towns and cities with a population of more than 20,000, amounting to 25 towns based on the most recent census of population. It is intended that accommodation providers in all other locations outside the largest towns and cities will be able to avail of an extended period to meet planning compliance requirements. To ensure that there is a clear view, at national level and local authority level, as to the overall policy approach to determining planning applications for short-term lets, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently finalising a national planning statement on short-term letting to supplement and support the introduction of the STLT Bill. The NPS will ensure a transparent, consistent overall policy approach, both nationally and at local authority level, to determining planning applications for short-term letting that will complement and support the introduction of the STLT Bill. It considers various factors such as existing planning legislation, the location and potential benefits of the proposed short-term letting property and the overarching aim to balance housing need with the potential impact on tourism and economic development. The NPS is being finalised as a priority and a draft will be brought to Cabinet shortly. That was one of the Deputy's questions. I will go back to the Minister today to find out when this will be brought to Cabinet and signed off. Tourism is important to the economy and the Government is mindful of concerns in both rural areas and in major tourism regions where short-term lettings provide much-needed accommodation for visitors. However, meeting local housing need across Ireland is a critical consideration and Government must use every lever available to assist in providing homes for our people, including returning properties to the long-term residential market.

I acknowledge that the minimum figure of 20,000 for towns was a put in place. I had lobbied strongly for that because we want to protect the tourism capital of the western world, which, as everybody knows, is Killarney, County Kerry and there is no doubt about that. However, I am worried about people in towns and areas with a population of less than 20,000 where the planning guidelines will be put in place for short-term letting who have not been operating for more than seven years. The people need to see as soon as possible what will be put in place. The can has been kicked down the road a number of times and I do not want to be fighting about that. All I am saying is that people need clarity. We are very clear on what we are going to be saying to people: we do not want to hound or persecute fine respectable people who are operating very nice businesses, who are paying tax and who have invested heavily in their homes, in their accommodations, specifically for short-term lets. Even where they are located would not blend in with long-term letting because it could literally be putting two families up on top of each other in the same yard. An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach has them in his constituency, as do the Minister of State and other Deputies. They know what I am talking about. At the same time, there is the whole question for the Government of whether it wants to stop places from having any long-term residential accommodation because everything would be short-term. Of course, we want balance. However, we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater. We need to make sure we are protecting established businesses and try to give clarity as soon as possible, rather than upsetting people.

This is an important matter. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has worked closely with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, and is committed to developing a fair and balanced approach to the short-term letting question, which is crucial. As the Deputy said, as a proud Kerryman, he has always highlighted the needs in this area. I absolutely agree. It is about all of the different Departments working together. I believe this will have a good outcome. With the approach outlined earlier, the need for rental housing stock is being balanced with the need to protect rural and regional tourism and jobs, which are important. The long-term development of tourism requires that an appropriate equilibrium is achieved in the short-term and long-term rental sector. Tourism is very important to the economy. The Government is mindful of concerns in both rural regions and major tourism regions, where short-term lettings provide much-needed accommodation for visitors, as the Deputy mentioned. However, addressing Ireland's housing needs is a priority, and the Government must use every lever available, including returning some short-term letting properties to the housing market, which may include longer-term rentals. The approach to be taken in the STLT Bill, as well as in the national planning statement, will balance greater housing supply with the need to protect rural and regional tourism jobs. I again thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I am glad to provide him with as much information as I can. He is right that we need to get this finalised. We need to have the draft brought to Cabinet as soon as possible. I will go back to the Minister for housing. Clarification is crucial to provide information on what is happening for everyone. I will do that.