Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department has been in regular contact with relevant planning authorities regarding the implementation of the new short-term letting legislation, both before and subsequent to its commencement on 1 July 2019.  

In order for the new legislation to have the desired effect and achieve its objective of returning much-needed accommodation to the long-term rental market, it is essential that relevant planning authorities adopt a pro-active approach to enforcement. This will add to the planning enforcement workload of the affected planning authorities, necessitating dedicated additional staffing and complementary resources.

In this regard, my Department wrote to planning authorities on 4 June 2019 seeking estimated resource funding requirements for the implementation and enforcement of the new provisions, to cover the period until the end of 2021. My Department wrote again to planning authorities on 2 July and 26 September seeking new or revised estimates following my designation of additional Rent Pressure Zones in certain parts of the country, which extended the application of the short-term letting provisions to these areas. The additional resources sought primarily comprise additional enforcement staff, but also include, inter alia, associated legal costs and IT costs.

Since then, further communication has taken place between my Department and all relevant planning authorities seeking clarification and refinement of the resourcing requests, as well as in relation to the practical implementation of the short-term letting provisions. 

Additional resources have been provided in Budget 2020 to support local authorities in the implementation and enforcement of the short-term letting provisions. My Department is engaging currently with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to securing the required sanctions to provide funding to local authorities in this regard. Subject to receipt of the aforementioned sanction, local authorities will be able to submit claims for recoupment of eligible expenditure in the latter part of 2019 and on a regular basis covering the period until the end of 2021. 

The following table shows the details of the requests received from each relevant planning authority, including the estimated number of staff required, and the total funding requested to the end of 2021 to support the implementation and enforcement of the short-term letting regulations.