The Government is to consider a clampdown on planning permissions for Airbnb-style short-term lettings in towns and cities with a population of more than 10,000.
Minister for Housing James Browne will brief Cabinet on Tuesday, along with Minister for Tourism Peter Burke, on plans to progress legislation governing the sector, including the introduction of a register of properties that will be live in May 2026.
Alongside the new legislation, which will allow Fáilte Ireland to gather more information about the short-term sector and local authorities to check compliance with planning laws, a new policy position on the sector is being developed by the Department of Housing.
It is expected the policy will indicate that applications for short-term lettings from property owners in towns with a population of more than 10,000 would be “prohibited”, according to one senior Government source.
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The register can be used by local authorities to monitor compliance with planning obligations introduced in 2019.
The Government is hopeful that the new system will be able to balance the role of short-term lettings in the wider tourism sector against the State’s housing need.
Online platforms will have to produce monthly reports including contact details of hosts, a property address and the number of nights a property was rented once the regulation is in place. There will be a limit of 90 days in use as a short-term let before planning is needed.
Mr Browne will also bring forward the National Planning Framework, which will need Dáil and Seanad approval. It is expected that once it is in place, local authorities will be instructed to open up their development plans and include significantly more land as residentially zoned.
The Wexford TD will bring forward the Land Development Agency’s new report on the development of housing on public lands, updating a similar exercise done in 2023.
Minister for Arts Patrick O’Donovan is to update Cabinet on his plans for a potential levy on streaming services after indicating over the weekend that he would not be proceeding with the new charge.
Mr O’Donovan’s decision was criticised by some, including in Fianna Fáil, where Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne said the charge should proceed to provide funding for content for Irish audiences.
Mr O’Donovan is expected to introduce a change requiring ministerial assent for any levy to proceed after signalling none would be forthcoming while he is in office.
There was surprise expressed by some within Fianna Fáil at the move, given all-party support for the move from an Oireachtas committee before the election. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Government would “examine” the matter, which it is understood had not been discussed at leaders’ level.
Minister for the Environment Darragh O’Brien will brief Cabinet on the ESB Networks winter resilience plan, ordered by the Government after the impact of Storm Eowyn earlier in the year. The plan considers safeguards for electricity infrastructure when passing through forestry, with an expectation that new legislation governing the area is to be progressed.
Mr O’Brien will also seek sign-off on the final business case for the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy 10.9km dual carriageway project, which will have a 36-month delivery deadline for completion.
Meanwhile, Ukrainians entering higher education will have their benefits reduced in line with supports offered normally in the system, under plans being brought for Cabinet approval by Minister for Higher and Further Education James Lawless. The changes will take effect from this September for new entrants only. A financial stipend for Ukrainians in higher education had been provided, but that is now being amended in line with a Government decision going back to October 2022, which dictates there should be equitable treatment between Ukrainians and Irish citizens.
