Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to regulate short-term lettings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45250/17]

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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What plans are in place to regulate short-term lettings and will the Minister make a statement on the matter? I raise this matter in the context of Airbnb and a circular recently issued to local authorities that seems to contradict recommendations made by the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government in respect of, for example, 90 days being a target for short-term lettings whereas the circular indicates one would have to seek permission for even two or three-day letting periods. Can the Minister comment on that circular?

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Under action 18 of the strategy for the rental sector, my Department has established a working group, including major public stakeholders with a policy interest in short-term letting, to develop guidance in respect of planning applications for and changes of use of short-term lettings and to examine the need for new regulatory arrangements.  

The proposals under consideration by the working group are aimed at facilitating short-term letting of accommodation within permanent residences, which is known as home sharing, while protecting existing stock of residential property in areas of high demand, safeguarding neighbourhood amenity and consumer protection and generating revenue to address any negative externalities of short-term letting.

The working group has met four times and the work is progressing well. It has recently completed guidance for local authorities to assist them in considering planning applications in respect of short-term lettings. My Department issued a circular in that regard to all local authorities earlier this week, a copy of which has been published on my Department’s website.

I have requested that the working group report to me before the end of the year on the appropriate regulatory approach for short-term tourism-related lettings, including consideration of the scope for a licensing regime, and the identification of any necessary amendments to existing legislation that are required.

I wish to acknowledge the report prepared by the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government on the impact of short-term lettings on Ireland's housing and rental market.  The recommendations arising from the report will be carefully considered by the working group in its deliberations.

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has seen the recommendations and report of the committee. Will he comment on them?

Based on the consensus arrived at by the committee and the significant amount of work and effort that went into talking to the various stakeholders before agreeing on the set of proposals, and in conjunction with the working group the Minister has had in place, what does he see as a realistic timetable for the provision of guidelines that meet with more general approval than, for example, what is contained in the recent circular, which has definitely instructed local authorities to seek a change of use for what would appear to be non-commercial short-term lettings in which people engage regularly?

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The recent correspondence to local authorities did not instruct them to do that. It clarified the position arrived at as a result of recent planning permissions and our recent history and informed them of some of the work that is ongoing. I am in favour of home-sharing, but home-sharing must mean home-sharing. It is a very important part of our economy at present and helps people to meet their mortgage repayments or other financial challenges they may have. However, in allowing it to happen as home-sharing, we must ensure that it is indeed home-sharing and is not taking significant stock out of the supply of homes, out of longer-term supply and into shorter-term lettings.

I have reviewed at a high level the report of the Oireachtas joint committee. It is a very good report with some very sound recommendations. If one considers best international practice and some of the things that have happened in other jurisdictions, again, they have looked at the 90-days-without-permission provision and the licensing arrangements, some of which are facilitated through the different platforms involved - for example, Airbnb. They have gone with a kind of "one host, one home" policy as well, which makes a lot of sense. I am considering the report of the Oireachtas joint committee. Again, there are some very good proposals in it. What we wanted to do, before the working group could complete its work and while it was still working on a memorandum of understanding with companies like Airbnb, was to make sure that the local authorities had the guidance in place before we then looked to see what we might do about a licensing system. I will consider the Oireachtas joint committee's report as guidance and will consider what has happened in other jurisdictions.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Ó Broin has a question.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I seek a clarification on the circular. I welcome the Minister's comments, particularly those in response to the committee's report. There is something I am not clear about in the circular. I refer to the conditions outlined for an individual applying for a change of use for short-term letting in an existing single apartment. Does the circular imply that all such persons in such accommodation must now apply for a change of use? If that is the case, the restrictions run contrary, as Deputy Cowen said, to the recommendations of the committee because they seem to restrict the genuine home-sharers. Furthermore, individuals applying in respect of non-exempt houses, particularly fully vacant houses, seem to be actually more flexible for what would be commercial lettings. It could be that we are reading the circular wrong, but will the Minister explain those two points if he can?

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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In so far as the circular is concerned, regarding individuals applying for changes of use for short-term letting in existing single apartments or individuals applying in respect of non-exempt houses, what we have sought to do in the circular is to give guidance to local authorities, in light of decisions that were made by An Bord Pleanála, as to what may be relevant for them in making an assessment themselves when it comes to any objections or section 5 declarations that might be placed regarding concerns over a short-term letting. The circular is there to guide them in that regard until such time as we can come with a proper system, whether it be a licensing system or whatever else we will do on foot of the Oireachtas joint committee's report, and, again, that consideration of what is happening in other jurisdictions.