I propose to take Questions Nos. 404 to 406, inclusive, together.
On 7 December 2022 the Government approved the priority drafting of the Registration of Short-Term Tourist Letting Bill and publication of the General Scheme of the Bill which provides for the registration of short-term tourist lettings with Fáilte Ireland in line with the commitment under Housing for All, the Government's housing policy.
On 21 December the proposed STTL Bill was submitted to the EU Commission pursuant to Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS) EU Directive 2015/1535. Such a notification triggers a standstill period of 3 months during which the proposed Bill cannot be enacted. On 22 March 2023, the Department received a communication from the EU Commission which extends that standstill period until 22 December 2023.
The EU Commission has extended the standstill period as it considers that the STTL Bill concerns a matter covered in part by the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of 7 November 2022 .
As part of the ongoing engagement with the Commission, officials from my Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and from Fáilte Ireland held a constructive meeting with representatives of the Commission in Brussels on Friday 23 June. Further engagement with the Commission will follow in the months ahead.
In order to assist discussions with the Commission on 23 June my Department forwarded correspondence from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with further detail on the Irish rental market and the pressures therein along with addition material on the current regulations which apply to short term letting in Ireland by way of the planning code. The material forwarded also included relevant correspondence from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights as well as a presentation on the proposed short term tourist letting register.
Further engagement with the Commission on the Registration of Short-Term Tourist Letting Bill as well as the Commission's proposal for a Regulation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services will inform the timeline for the legislation and the establishment of the register.
