I propose to take Questions Nos. 552 and 579 together.
The proposed Registration of Short Term Tourism Letting (STTL) Bill will provide the statutory basis for the establishment of a register for Short Term Tourist Lets (STTLs) in Ireland, as required under the Housing for All strategy, and for the implementation of the new EU Short Term Rental (STR) Regulation.
This Bill remains the subject of ongoing engagement with the EU Commission in accordance with the Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS) EU Directive 2015/1535.
As part of this engagement, officials from my Department and from Fáilte Ireland met with representatives of the Commission in Brussels on 11 December 2023 and then, on 15 December, provided a formal response to the Commission’s communication of 22 March 2023 setting out our proposed approach to achieve alignment between the proposed STTL Bill and EU law, in particular the new STR Regulation.
On 9 February 2024, the Commission responded positively regarding the principles outlined in Ireland’s formal response and to suggest that further consideration was required to ensure complete alignment. My officials met again with the Commission on 21 February 2024 in this regard and to provide further clarifications on the proposed approach. This was a very positive engagement and my officials have provided a further written response to the Commission via the TRIS process.
A conclusion to the TRIS process shortly will allow for for the publication of the Bill in the coming months.