Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome and support the call by Senator Gavan to have a conversation about the future of Ireland and of a united Ireland in light of the positive developments that have taken place. Maybe we will get a chance on that occasion to discuss the split that is clearly taking place with Sinn Féin south of the Border where, on one hand, some of its representatives in this House have supported the nature restoration Bill and yet their apostle in Brussels has gone rogue on them this morning. We will see how that plays out. It does not spell great for the future that they are not able to remain united in the face of that.

Last night, I had an opportunity yet again to meet those who have self-catering facilities and small units beside their homes that they rent out at certain times of the year, mainly the summer, to tourists and people generally to, in the first instance, provide a support structure for the tourism industry but also to provide themselves with some small amount of income. These are often granny flats, converted garages and small units and they are coming under pressure based on proposed laws. The suggestion somehow is, and it has been perpetrated by politicians on all sides, that if we get rid of Airbnb and we require everybody to get planning permission for the utilisation of some structure for accommodation, we will solve the housing crisis. Some people go online and discover there are 20,000 or 30,000 listings, which could be anything from a room in a house to a yurt or caravan, and think that will somehow solve the issue of the 13,000 people who are homeless. It is cheap politics and it is undermining an industry.

We should have a debate in this House. I am particularly taken by the people I have met on a number of occasions and who I met again last night who are really fearful for their business. The reality is that even where there is maybe a house attached to their own farmhouse, they are not going to rent that out long term. They are not going to bring in families. For a couple of months of the year, however, that is suitable for tourism-related activities, something which we badly need because, rightly, we have taken the inflow of Ukrainian refugees and provided them with hotel accommodation. That has put pressure on our tourism sector. We need to address this issue and I would like a debate in this House as soon as possible.