Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 March 2022
200. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider an incentive scheme to make short-term rentals available for purchase by first-time buyers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12092/22]
View answerHousing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing over the next decade. Greater supply will be key to meeting demand, helping moderate property price increases, and addressing affordability pressures facing renters, homeowners and potential buyers in the coming years.
Housing for All includes unprecedented direct investment in social and affordable housing; reforms to ensure availability of land, removal of obstacles to and supporting viability of development; and, ensuring there is sufficient investment and capacity to support construction.
Housing for All has a range of measures in place to support home ownership, and first time buyers in particular, as well as supports for those in the private rented sector.
Significant progress is already being made under Housing for All. This includes -
- the launch of Project Tosaigh to accelerate delivery of 5,000 units where planning permission has already been granted but not yet activated;
- submission of local authority Housing Delivery Action Plans, outlining delivery of social and affordable housing for 2022 to 2026;
- the extension of the Help-to-Buy Scheme until end of 2022;
- the commencement of the Local Authority Home Loan scheme ;
- scaling up of Cost Rental delivery with a further 1,580 homes to be delivered in 2022; and
- legislation for tenancies of unlimited duration to enhance security of tenure for renters.
Regarding short-term lettings, my Department introduced legislative reforms to regulate the short-term letting sector through the planning code, in rent pressure zones in 2019. Housing for All also contains a specific action to “develop new regulatory controls requiring short-term and holiday lets to register with Fáilte Ireland with a view to ensuring that houses are used to best effect in areas of housing need”.
I have engaged with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media to progress this action, and a number of meetings have been held between officials of the two Departments and with Fáilte Ireland, and further engagement is expected to take place in the near future. Funding was allocated in Budget 2022 to Fáilte Ireland which has been tasked with the design and implementation of a new short term lettings registration system. The agency is currently recruiting staff to work on this project. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is also presently scoping out the legislative provisions that will be required to underpin the new registration system with a view to these provisions being enacted in 2022.
