The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, in spite of its intentions, raises concerns as it could have unintended consequences for many people in this country. The part that raises most concerns for the tourism sector is the short-term letting planning part. It is being proposed as part of this new legislation that Airbnb, bed and breakfast and short-term lets will require registration and planning permission. The people who let for the short term, mainly for tourism purposes, have no issue with being registered as all of their work is above board anyhow. However, if they have to get planning permission for short-term letting, that will close down most of the short-term lets in Ireland. I could understand it if this Bill sought these changes for short-term lets in areas with a population of over 20,000 but those in rural communities who let granny flats or let rooms on a short-term basis in houses or sheds should not come under the residential tenancies planning provisions.

I was dealing with two ladies in west Cork last year who were doing Airbnb for decades, letting out approximately ten rooms in two houses. They heard of this new legislation and knew that if they had to get planning permission, assuming they could get it in the first place, it would cost tens of thousands of euro which would make their little tourism businesses non-viable. Last week, I contacted the ladies to tell them that I was raising this issue in the Dáil only to be told they had pulled out of the business as they could not carry on with the indecision and the stress of not knowing if they would be forced down the planning permission route or not. Ten beds have been lost to the surrounds of Courtmacsharry. Tourism beds mean people calling, staying for a few days, eating in local restaurants in Courtmacsharry, Timoleague, Clonakilty and Bandon, having a few pints in the local pubs and using local transport services, all adding to the economy of the local community. This story is not just confined to Courtmacsharry. This also applies to Connemara in Galway, Westport in Mayo, Bundoran in Donegal, Dungarvan in Waterford, New Ross in Wexford, and Kenmare in Kerry. It is the same story the length and breadth of Ireland. This is tourism and it is a decades-old success.

Tourism was down by 8% last year. Has the Government calculated what this will cost the tourism sector? People from all over the world came to rural parts of Ireland to enjoy what we have to offer, which is far more than anywhere in the world. Those in short-term lets are horrified by what is happening. At a packed public meeting that I held in O'Donovan's Hotel in Clonakilty last Friday night, I heard story after story of great short-term let businesses from Beara to Kinsale and how they sold all that is great about Ireland. All of this looks to be in tatters to them if the Government railroads through this legislation in its current form. Will owners of Airbnb and short-term lets in areas with populations of under 20,000 have to apply for planning permission? The same question applies to bed and breakfast accommodation, short-term holiday lets and the householders providing once-off accommodation at weekends for events like Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta or local festivals the length and breadth of Ireland. Will they all come under this planning legislation? If so, it will damage our tourism industry in rural coastal communities throughout Ireland, which are still reeling from the complete collapse of the fishing industry and the struggles of our beef industry at this time.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is an extremely important issue. The ultimate priority, of course, is housing. All of us in this House agreed a long time ago that housing is a priority. Short-term lets, particularly in cities and large towns, have replaced a lot of rental properties for housing. That is the ultimate priority. Cities and large towns provide the best opportunity for short-term letting properties to be returned to the long-term rental market. We had a meeting last evening of party leaders and the Ministers responsible, Deputy James Brown and Deputy Peter Burke, who is initiating the legislation. First, it will be for towns above 20,000. Many people thought it would be 10,000. I thought that Deputy Collins was getting up to welcome that development but anyway-----

I will.

It is above 20,000 and we are trying to get the balance right between tourism and housing.

It is important to note, there will be an obligation to register. The Bill is the short-term letting and tourism legislation. We published that, as the Deputy knows. We got Cabinet approval. I think it has gone through pre-legislative scrutiny. It will introduce a national register of all short-term let properties to improve oversight and compliance. It also aligns domestic law with the European Union short-term rental regulation, which will be effective from 20 May 2026. There are various criteria. The Minister, Deputy Browne, will then develop a planning statement on short-term letting.

In terms of the planning status I thought the Deputy would have been aware that any variation from residential to commercial and Airbnb - we sought the Attorney General's advice on this - requires planning. That is just the law as it is. We are examining the process of registering so that we would facilitate opportunities for those registering to regularise planning over a particular timeframe. That has to be tied down with a degree of precision. That will happen before the Bill comes to the Dáil. That is all fairly imminent. Those are the factual legal positions. I think we can achieve it. I would not be coming forward with the potential doomsday scenarios the Deputy came forward with. We need to keep calm here and facilitate regularisation, if people have not done that already. A year or two ago, if, bar in the case of home sharing, someone wanted to change the status of a particular house to an Airbnb scenario, by law, as it currently stands, the person would need planning permission to do that.

The Taoiseach may say that I am putting forward a doomsday scenario. It is doomsday for these people who have been doing Airbnb for the past five, ten, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years if planning regulations have to come into place. I welcome the statement from the Minister, Deputy Burke, but the planning requirement is still going ahead. That is the very serious concern we all have. That is the part that will ruin existing short-term holiday lets. Independent Ireland has an amendment tomorrow night that would safeguard existing businesses and provide them with certainty if the Government will agree to it. The only opportunity to put this right is through the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 tomorrow night. I am getting emails from Airbnb short-term providers all over Ireland who are up in arms over this. Nowhere else in Europe are existing Airbnb and short-term lets being destroyed. It has been tried by the Scottish Government but it had to row back on the decision. The loss of income in a female dominated industry will be felt the length and breadth of the country if this is to go ahead. At this moment, Fáilte Ireland has registration forms ready on which it quite clearly asks if the person has planning. If this is not removed, it is breathtaking to see that Fáilte Ireland, the very body put in place to build tourism, will be the body at the forefront, with this Government, of destroying tourism, as we know it, forever.

The Deputy is confusing his Bills.

I am not.

You are.

We have done research on this.

The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 has nothing to do with short-term letting.

It has.

No, it does not. I want to make it clear that the short-term letting Bill will be brought to the House by the Minister, Deputy Burke. We had a meeting of the housing committee yesterday. We dealt with it. The issue in terms of variation is a matter of law as we stand, and that is anywhere, not just in the context of short-term lets. For any premises, permission has to be obtained for a variation of use to commercial. The Deputy knows that because he is a TD and he knows his way around the place in terms of these kinds of issues. Let us not pretend innocence. I would say the Deputy has helped a good few people down through the years to navigate all those kinds of things.

Deputies on our side of the House are very anxious that we go to the 20,000 figure. We got the balance right and we have to bring forward the legislation. What we will endeavour to do is to enable people, as they register, to regularise their planning over a period of time, to give people time. By the way, I know the Deputy is concerned about Courtmacsherry and all of that. Brad Pitt is on his way to Timoleague, apparently. The Airbnbs will be full now for the next couple of days.

There will be no room for poor Brad Pitt or anybody else if the Government does not wake up. We have to have a debate in the Chamber on short-term lets. The Taoiseach can ignore me all he likes.

Before I move to the Order of Business, Deputy Collins has a number of guests in the Gallery. They are students from University College Cork's government and politics society. You are very welcome indeed.