Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It may well be I did not understand the answer as oppose to it was not answered. The Minister of State said that the change of use function will transfer to the Fáilte Ireland registration. It is important we clarify that. Right now, if I am a property owner, I apply to the local authority for a change of use or I write and I get my exemption. When Fáilte Ireland takes over this responsibility, will I still have to apply for a change of use or will I simply go to Fáilte Ireland for it to register me, and if I go to it to register me, who has the ability to make the decision as to whether it is appropriate for a short-term let or a long-term let in the location concerned because that is a planning decision? Will the Minister of State clarify that transition?

When the change of use function transfers to Fáilte Ireland, will the fines for the advertising of non-compliant properties continue, and if so, why is there only a six-month relevant period, albeit to be extended in this? I am still not clear on the interaction of those.

On RPZs, the criteria the Minister of State set out, particularly with respect to larger urban areas and higher rents, may have been the case when the RPZ legislation was introduced in 2016. Anybody who has been looking at what is happening with rents in rural counties outside RPZs for the past 12 to 18 months will know there have been increases. In fact, rents in County Galway are now higher than they are in the city, and it is the same in counties Donegal, Roscommon and Leitrim. The scale of rent increases there is huge. The Minister of State is not going to deal with that today, but I urge the Department to re-examine that issue, because Deputy Cian O'Callaghan makes a very important point that needs to be addressed at some stage.

See this speech in context