Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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292. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the measures he is taking to alleviate the chronic shortage of long-term rental properties in cities and towns across the country due to competition from the short-term rental market (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39812/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Legislative changes (the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019) were introduced last year in relation to the regulation of the short-term letting sector through the planning code to help address its impact on the supply of private rented accommodation, particularly in urban centres of high housing demand, i.e. rent pressure zones (RPZs). The planning system facilitates the regulation of short-term letting uses undertaken by the individual carrying out the activity, i.e. the owner/occupier of the house or apartment, rather than the online platforms.

It is recognised that the aforementioned legislative changes do not apply to short-term-lets in many rural areas which are outside the RPZs. To do so could potentially have an adverse impact on the many long-established tourism accommodation properties upon which the tourism industry in these areas relies. The broader regulation of tourism activity, including the possible development of a new regulatory or licensing/registration system for commercial platforms and short-term letting agents, was recommended in the final Working Group report on the regulation of short-term letting. The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future includes the specific action to strengthen the regulatory and enforcement mechanisms with regard to short-term letting, and the ongoing approach in this regard will be considered further over the coming months. However, as some elements of potential regulation of the short-term letting market fall outside the remit of my Department, I have written to my colleague the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on this matter and look forward to engaging with my cabinet colleagues on how best this issue can be tackled jointly and more comprehensively.

The Programme for Government also commits the Government to the progression of State-backed affordable housing, including the development of a Cost Rental model. Cost Rental is housing where the rents cover only the costs of delivering, managing, and maintaining the homes. It represents a new form of rental tenure for Ireland and is particularly relevant in densely populated urban centres where rental affordability pressures are acute and where State resources can have the biggest impact in assisting people who are paying highest rents. Cost Rental projects led by Approved Housing Bodies and Local Authorities are currently under development in Dublin, while the Land Development Agency will be involved in the delivery of Cost Rental homes on its initial portfolio of urban sites across the country. However, I accept that this measure may not be immediately relevant in smaller rural towns. Accordingly the Government is exploring other possible options that might be pursued in these areas.