Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses present today and Ms Casey and Mr. Flynn for joining us online. I welcome Mr. Nolan back to the jungle. I thank all the witnesses for their contributions. I was following the meeting online from the office.

An awful lot has been said on this matter today and at our previous meeting. To follow on from what Senator Byrne said, given the current position, it is clear that the proposed legislation is premature. We are operating in a vacuum in the absence of the planning guidelines. What this looks like to me is taking the nuclear approach to situation when what needs to happen is that the infantry needs to be sent in. What we are going to have is a huge amount of collateral damage and very little gain. We know that, especially in large urban centres, there has been a massive displacement of long-term properties into the short-term market, but the crudeness of the proposed legislation will result in an enormously negative impact in regional rural costal areas, where the acute impacts of the housing crisis are not being felt at present. I gave examples at the previous meeting of people in my constituency who will be negatively impacted by the proposed legislation. Their experiences are very similar to that of Ms Carey. From my perspective, proceeding any further without a radical rethink would be completely unconscionable. It is just the wrong approach to take. There is a problem, but this is not the way to solve it. I am very keen to see a response from the Department in respect of the concerns that have been expressed repeatedly by members and non-members of the committee.

I appreciate that Mr. Flynn has joined us. From his experience with Trident Holiday Homes, can he outline the type of customers he deals with? In terms of geographical location, where would the majority of his clients be based? Can he update the committee his general feeling regarding the online context? There is a huge problem here in that the general scheme is completely at odds with Government policy in other areas. One of the key things we have been trying to do in the tourism industry in recent years is take people out of Dublin and the east and move them to other areas of the country. I come from an area where, in the days before Airbnb - as Deputy Cannon will know - we saw very few tourists other than those who were passing through. There was no tangible benefit to our community. Now, people are staying, spending locally and enjoying the local walks. Facilities and amenities that were not previously official walks are becoming way-marked official trails. This was not the case previously. There has been a lot of positive change as well as a result of the likes of Airbnb. However, people who have spent a lot of money within the curtilages of their own properties, developing - as someone referred to earlier - little enterprises to keep them ticking over and to pay the bills, are being told that they are not going to get planning permission. This means that there investment has been in vain. These properties were never ever going to be long-term properties. It is just not right that this policy would be pursued and continued in the way it is currently drafted.

Another thing I am very passionate about is the development of greenways. We are looking to build a national network of greenways. These greenways will be going into communities that currently do not have them. If this proposed legislation were to be enacted, we would never have the facilities, the accommodation or the services to cater for the type of slow, sustainable tourism into which we are looking to position ourselves in the future. That matter should be the subject of serious consideration by the committee.