Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I met the short-term letters on Monday night and their case is very compelling. They are valued people, certainly along the west where we simply do not have hotel accommodation this summer. In towns such as Lisdoonvarna, there is not a single hotel room to be had. The Airbnb model is effective and valued and I want to put that on record. I think most of us would agree with that. I also said to the short-term letters that there is a counterbalance and I heard what Mr. Murtagh said earlier about the need to get people housed. There are two competing things here and I do not necessarily believe they have to compete. There is a middle ground that we can refine this legislation to get to. We want more carrot than stick here. We want to entice the person who has a three-bed house in Cavan, west Clare or wherever it might be in the country to consider perhaps coming out of short-term rental and making that available to a family on their local authority housing list. As an esteemed former Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas and knowing Airbnb's membership, as he does, will Mr. Nolan suggest a way that would somehow entice short-term letters out because the Bill as it is currently presenting itself looks to be a little more stick than carrot and we want more carrot than stick.