Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy's point about regulating the platforms. If a company publishes content, it is responsible for that content. If it is advertising something, it is, within specific parameters, responsible for that advertisement. It might be difficult to find the person responsible for putting up fake photos, for example. Sinn Féin's Bill in the Seanad speaks to that point. We want to work through that to see how we can improve matters. I do not disagree on that point at all. I took a very comprehensive look at this when I came into the Department because it was one of the things we wanted to move quickly on. If I could do more in terms of bringing the platforms in I would have done it, but this is a responsibility that will fall to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport or perhaps the Department of Finance if the Deputy's suggestion about sharing information with Revenue is taken further. Regularising the platforms is not something I can do.

On the issue of the administrative burden that local authorities will bear, we have been kicking around a couple of different ideas. Dublin City Council developed its own proposals and did its own thinking on this. Greater clarity will be available when we discuss this matter next week, because we will be talking about the substance of how this will be done in each local authority area. This will become legally operable from 1 July for people in this sector, as I said earlier in public session, representing a move of one month compared to what was announced. Anyone doing this as a business activity knows that this is coming. This is being done to be absolutely certain that we can provide a period of advertising to make the requirements in rent pressure zones clear. Rent pressure zones are only being finalised in legislation now, and this is where it is going to apply and where it is going to happen. There can be no excuses for non-compliance from 1 July.