Mr. James Flynn:

We represent a company called Trident Holiday Homes, which has been in this sector for about 35 years. We market approximately 500 holiday homes around the country. We sell approximately 10,000 holidays a year.

Deputy Griffin asked about the type of customers we have. Some 40% of our guests come to Ireland from overseas and 60% are domestic holidaymakers. They would not all necessarily be holidaymakers. We have companies that rent properties when they need accommodation for staff, which is particularly relevant now because many rural hotels have closed. We also provide short-term accommodation to families who are between houses, whose houses are being renovated or have been affected by pyrite and for all sorts of other reasons. If this proposed legislation is enacted and we apply the same rules across the board, Ireland will lose an entire block of accommodation stock that is essential for the sector. If that accommodation is not available, tourists will not come here. The people who make up 40% of those we bring in - by means of approximately 5,000 bookings per year - will go to Spain, Portugal and France instead. Irish people who holiday at home will not be able to find a house in Galway, Cork or Wexford. They will go overseas. To put it this way, Ireland Inc. would lose a huge volume of business as a result of what is proposed. we are very supportive of a register and of the need to create and open up extra housing stock in urban centres, but this proposed legislation applies the same criteria across the entire country. That needs to be recognised and tackled. It is not the case that the same rule should apply in Dublin 4 as in Clonakilty. They are not part of the same problem.

We are also concerned that people will go to the black market and that this business will go underground. People will not advertise in Airbnb or with us; they will start advertising with websites overseas. We are already hearing reports of this. Overseas websites are getting involved and contacting owners and stating that because they are based in Malta, America or outside the jurisdiction of the EU, the Government cannot apply its rules to them. Business will be driven overseas, and that will mean rogue operators coming in. No one will be able to police this. There are a few ways the sector could be affected. We have to be very careful with the rules that will be being brought in by means of this proposed legislation. We have to try to allow the genuine, legitimate people who have been in this business for 20 years, many of whom we represent, to continue to operate. They are a valuable part of Ireland's tourism offering.