Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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318. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the discretion local authorities will have to develop policies under the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025; when local authorities will be expected to publish these policies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68613/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Short Term Rental (STR) Regulation was adopted by the EU on 11 April 2024 and is applicable from 20 May 2026. This Regulation lays down harmonised rules on the collection and exchange of data on short-term rental services for member states, hosts providing short-term accommodation rental services, and online platforms that offer services to hosts providing short-term accommodation rental services within the EU.

The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) has drafted the Short Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill General Scheme in full alignment with the STR Regulation. The introduction of the STLT Bill will provide a more effective legal and administrative basis to regulate short-term lettings. The proposed STLT Bill will provide the statutory basis for the establishment of a register for short-term lets in Ireland and for the implementation of the new EU STR.

To ensure that there is a clear view, both at national level and local authority level, as to the overall policy approach to determining planning applications for short-term lets, my Department is currently developing a National Planning Statement (NPS) for the short-term letting sector to supplement and support the introduction of the STLT Bill. It will consider a variety of factors, such as existing planning legislation, the long term housing need in the local authority area, the location of the proposed short-term let and balancing housing need with the potential impact on tourism and economic development.

A NPS will contain two distinct elements that have a different status in terms of the obligations attaching to each element and the particular planning function being exercised. The first element - ‘national planning policies and measures’ - will be a high-level statement to be integrated into regional and local plan making. The second element - ‘national planning policy guidance’ - will be more discretionary practical guidance that will afford flexibility to planning authorities as to how to implement the principles of national planning policy and measures.

My Department has also established a Working Group, consisting of members from my Department, Department of Enterprise Tourism and Employment, and the County and City Management Association, in advance of finalising the NPS on short-term letting. The group will provide a forum for input into proposed policy formulation and guidance documentation development by my Department.

In advance of the publication of the NPS, local authorities can continue to make decisions on applications for change of use in respect of short-term letting properties. The decision of the local authority will be informed by local policy contained in the City and County Development Plans and Local Area Plans where applicable.

On issuance of the NPS on short-term letting, the decision making of local authorities in respect of material change of use applications for short-term let properties will be informed by the policy contained within the NPS. This will allow for consistency in decision making throughout all local authorities areas, including in respect of the general preclusion of permission for short-term lettings in large towns and cities.