Short-term lets Bill passes Dáil as Taoiseach criticises Healy-Rae ‘scaremongering’

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has accused Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae of “scaremongering” over planning permission requirements for Airbnb-style operations.

He said provisions of the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill reflect “comprehensive legal advice from the Attorney General”, adding that “there’s been unnecessary scaremongering on this issue”.

When Healy-Rae protested, the Taoiseach told the former minister of state that a recent social media post the Kerry TD had made about planning permission was “a bit over the top”.

Healy-Rae raised the issue in the Dáil ahead of a four-hour debate on the legislation, which was subsequently passed by 83 votes to 71 and now goes to the Seanad for consideration.

The Bill establishes a national register of rental accommodation covering stays of up to 21 nights. It designates tourism body Fáilte Ireland “as the competent authority responsible for administering the register”.

The legislation aims to tighten rules and move more properties into the long-term private rental market to help combat the housing crisis.

The new planning restrictions apply to rentals in towns with a population of more than 20,000, a commitment made to the Kerry TD when he was minister of state.

Healy-Rae pointed to remarks the Taoiseach made in April that “if someone is operating an Airbnb for seven years, he or she does not need planning permission”.

But he said the national planning statement requires established operators without the necessary permission to apply for retention even where they have been long-term operators.

[ Zelenskiy says there is ‘window’ for Russia peace deal ahead of Dublin talksOpens in new window ]

Healy-Rae added, “a presumption in favour of permission is not an exemption, and a simplified application is still an application, with no guarantee of its approval.”

The Taoiseach said there was a presumption of the entitlement to planning for someone in business for more than seven years. There was also a simplified application, he said.

There has to be a balance between enabling people to get housing and, in areas where tourism is important, to “facilitate people to maintain short-term letting in areas below that threshold”.

During debate on the legislation, Healy-Rae said there were 1,430 planning applications to Kerry County Council in 2025, but 4,000 affected properties. Operators have two years to comply, but he said even if there were 2,000 applications for each of the two years, the numbers could not be managed.

However, Minister for Tourism Peter Burke, who steered the legislation through the House, insisted it was a “straightforward process”.

The local authorities “have the fast-track administrative application form since last September” to go through the process. “No detailed maps or plans are required where no significant work is needed for the retention process.”

The 71 opposition amendments included one from Sinn Féin enterprise spokeswoman Rose Conway-Walsh, calling for a report within six months of the number of registered short-term letting properties availing of the seven-year clause.

Independent Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae said the Bill was a “terrible attack on the democratic right of house owners to do what they wish with their own houses that they would have bought, built, inherited or owned in one way or another”.

Social Democrats housing spokesman Rory Hearne claimed the Bill “actually breaches the Government’s own housing plan”. He said the housing plan “makes it very clear that restrictions will apply to towns with populations greater than 10,000 but the Minister has now changed that to 20,000”.

[ Ireland in talks to use Ukrainian drone technology for maritime securityOpens in new window ]