I propose to take Questions Nos. 506, 508 and 509 together.
In April of last year, I obtained Government approval for the General Scheme of the Short-Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill. Once enacted, this Bill will provide a statutory framework for regulating the short-term letting (STL) sector, including the establishment of a national register.
The new Housing policy, proposed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne T.D., and also approved by Government on 15 April 2025, proposes to generally preclude new planning permissions for STL in cities and larger towns. Further to this, on 9 February last, the Cabinet Committee on Housing proposed to apply this to towns and cities with populations over 20,000 persons at the latest census.
This agreement provided that, following the introduction of the STL register
• Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of 20,000 or less at the last census based on the census town boundaries defined by CSO will have two years to meet planning compliance requirements.
• Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of more than 20,000 at the last census will need to confirm planning compliance on registration with no further lead-in period if they wish to register with Failte Ireland.
• Existing rights will be recognised, allowing properties used for short-term letting for at least seven years without enforcement action to be eligible for registration.
• It will still be possible to sub-let an entire principal private residence on a short-term basis for a cumulative period of 90 days. Where the 90-day threshold is exceeded, planning permission for a change of use is required.
These policies are part of a broader Government strategy to tackle the housing shortage by ensuring that as many suitable properties as possible are available for long-term rental.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is drafting a National Planning Statement under the Planning and Development Act 2024. This will provide a clear overall policy approach both at national and local authority level to enable planning authorities to determine planning applications for short-term lets across the country.
Failte Ireland estimates that approximately 34,020 STL properties were advertised online in the State in October 2025 based on screen-scraped data from four major booking platforms. Up to 64% were listed as entire houses or apartments. This represents a 26% increase from an estimated 26,960 units in October 2022. In Kerry around 3,910 STL units were listed in October 2025, of which, 70% were advertised as entire properties. This represents a 10.4% increase from an estimated 3,540 listed in October 2022.
The national STL register to be implemented and managed by Failte Ireland will provide full oversight of the short term letting sector and will commence following the enactment of the necessary legislation.
Fáilte Ireland currently maintains tourist accommodation registers under the Tourist Traffic Acts and the National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF). These registers currently record 227,192 tourism bedplaces nationally, including 22,707 in Kerry, demonstrating the scale of the industry and it's capacity.
In parallel, Fáilte Ireland has developed a Tourist Accommodation Capacity and Pipeline Monitor. This strategic tool tracks existing capacity and monitors development projects as they progress through planning, construction and delivery. The monitor supports early identification of supply pressures, provides insight into regional and sectoral trends, and supports evidence-based decision making by policymakers and industry stakeholders.
Based on Q3 2025 data, the pipeline monitor forecasts that 12,750 new bedplaces under construction will be delivered nationally across 2026 and 2027. In addition, planning permission has been granted for a further 37,550 bedplaces. The monitor will be refreshed with Q1 2026 data early this summer.
In recent years, the use of tourist bedstock has been a feature of State provision of accommodation for humanitarian purposes. However, this use has been reducing since 2023, with significant numbers of bedplaces being returned to their former or private use. Changes in government policy and approach from March 2024 in particular, plus a steady increase in new tourist bedstock coming into the sector, have significantly improved the current position of accommodation capacity and availability for tourism in Ireland.
The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration manages a comprehensive accommodation strategy for people seeking international protection. The most recent Fáilte Ireland analysis (December 2025) of data provided by that Department(at 6 month intervals), indicates that the percentage of bedplaces in registered tourism properties, in use for humanitarian purposes, has reduced nationally from 13% in May 2023 to 5% in November, 2025. The relevant figures for Kerry are 11% in May 2023 reduced to 4% in November, 2025.
There has been a significant shift in the data for all counties, and the sector is benefiting from this increased availability of capacity for tourism use. Governments expectation is that the position will continue to improve incrementally over time, barring any further external shocks. Fáilte Ireland analysis of data harvested this month will be available in June and will be published on www.failteireland.ie.
