573. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his response to concerns (details supplied) in relation to short-term lets. [19089/26]

As set out in the Government's new Policy Statement A New Era for Irish Tourism, which I published in December, the introduction of regulatory controls for the Short Term Letting (STL) Sector is to ensure that the tourism sector develops in a way that recognises and is complementary to the wider needs of local communities, both economically and socially.

In April of last year, I obtained Government approval for the General Scheme of the Short Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill. Once enacted, the Bill will establish the statutory framework for the introduction of regulatory controls for the STL sector, including the creation of a national register.

Fáilte Ireland will be responsible for implementing and managing this register, ensuring compliance with the EU Short-Term Rental Regulation, which comes into effect on 20 May this year. The introduction of the new STL register has been welcomed by the tourism sector and will commence following the passage of the necessary legislation.

Under the new system, all STL accommodation providers will be required to register with Fáilte Ireland and display their registration number on any listing or advertisement for their property. As part of the registration process, providers must confirm that their property complies with planning requirements, meaning they either have the appropriate planning permission or are exempt from the requirement to obtain such permission.

The new Housing policy, proposed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne T.D., and approved by Government on 15 April proposes to generally preclude new planning permissions for STL in cities and larger towns. Further to this, on 9 February last, the Cabinet Committee on Housing proposed to apply this to towns and cities with populations over 20,000 persons at the latest census. These policies are part of a broader Government strategy to tackle the housing shortage by ensuring that as many suitable properties as possible are available for long-term rental.

Following the introduction of the STL register, accommodation providers based in towns with a population of 20,000 or less at the last census, based on the census town boundaries (defined by CSO), will have two years to meet planning compliance requirements.

Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of more than 20,000 at the last census will need to confirm planning compliance on registration, with no further lead-in period, if they wish to register their STL property with Fáilte Ireland.

In line with existing established rights, where it can be proven that a residential property has been operated by an STL provider for at least 7 years and no enforcement action has been taken by the planning authority, planning permission for retention may be sought.

It will still be possible to offer a room based in your principal private residence (PPR) for STL on an ongoing basis or to sub-let an entire PPR on a short-term basis for a cumulative period of 90 days. Where the 90-day threshold is exceeded, planning permission for a change of use is required.

I understand that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently finalising a National Planning Statement (NPS) under section 25 of the Planning & Development Act 2024, for short-term letting activity, which will be subject to Government approval and will give effect to this decision. It will continue to be the case that change of use planning permission is necessary for STL, where not subject to exemptions first set out in 2019.

The NPS for short-term letting will ensure that there is a clear overall policy approach, both at national level and local authority level, to enable planning authorities to determine planning applications for short-term lets across the Country.

Fáilte Ireland estimates that, approximately 34,020 STL properties were advertised online in the State in October 2025, based on screen-scraped data from four major booking platforms. Up to 64% were listed as “entire” houses or apartments. This represents a 26% increase from an estimated 26,960 units in October 2022. In Donegal around 3,160 STL units were listed in October 2025, of which, 75% were advertised as entire properties. This represents a 14.5% increase from an estimated 2,760 listed in October 2022.

Tourism remains a vital part of the Irish economy, supporting 227,000 jobs and generating €6 billion in 2024. I fully recognise concerns about the impact on rural tourism and local economies of reducing STL availability. However, addressing Ireland’s housing needs is a priority, and Government must use every lever available, including returning some STL properties to the long-term rental market. The approach agreed on 9 February will balance greater housing supply with the need to protect rural and regional tourism and jobs.

My Department has, and continues to have, ongoing engagement with all stakeholders, including STL operators and platforms.