Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 September 2022
237. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if the timeline for action 20.4 of the Housing for All Plan will be met; his views on whether this timeline needs to be revised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46476/22]
View answer238. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when she plans to publish legislation relating to the establishment of a registration system for short-term lettings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46473/22]
View answer239. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if it is still her intention to legislate for the registration of short-term lettings by Q4 of 2022; if this timeline has been revised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46474/22]
View answer240. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she intends to request the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Media and Sport to waive pre-legislative scrutiny on her upcoming legislative proposals to establish a registration system for short-term lettings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46475/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 237 to 240, inclusive, together.
Action 20.4 of Housing for All commits to the development of "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”.
Funding was allocated in Budget 2022 to Fáilte Ireland which has been tasked with the design and implementation of a short term lettings registration system. Officials in my Department are working in consultation with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Fáilte Ireland on scoping out the legislative provisions that will be required to underpin such a system with a view to bringing forward the necessary legislation in the coming months.
The Deputy will also be aware that new arrangements in relation to short-term letting, aimed at strengthening the pre-existing regulatory controls in this area, were proposed by section 3 of the Planning and Development, Maritime and Valuation (Amendment) Bill 2022. When commenced by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the new arrangements will provide that, for a period of six months, non-principal private residences in Rent Pressure Zones shall not be advertised or accept bookings on online platforms or other media for short term letting purposes without the necessary planning permission being in place in respect of the property concerned or the property concerned being otherwise exempted. Pending the establishment and commencement of operations of the new short-term letting registration system to be operated by Fáilte Ireland, the six month period referred to may be extended for further 6 month periods subject to positive resolutions by both Houses of the Oireachtas.
This legislation has been notified to the EU Commission under the requirements of the EU TRIS (Technical Regulation Information Society) Directive having regard to potential implications for internal market and information society services. This is a standard notification requirement for relevant legislative proposals by national Governments so that any proposals in this area can be examined by the EU Commission.
In the meantime, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage continues to engage with relevant stakeholder groups on the detailed operational arrangements to be applied in relation to the proposed measure which will be provided for in supplementary regulations.
