Government criticised for trying to 'rush through' short-term letting bill in a single day

Opposition TD hits out at proposal to carry out three stages of the legislative process over a single day in the Dáil in November

Enterprise minister Peter Burke proposed that the committee, report, and final stages of the bill be carried out in the Dáil on Wednesday, November 11. Picture: Cillian Sherlock/PA

Opposition politicians have criticised what they called an attempt to "rush through" legislation to regulate short-term lets.

They criticised as "unacceptable" and "bad governance" the Government's proposal to carry out three stages of the legislative process over a single day in the Dáil.

Enterprise minister Peter Burke is to introduce the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2026 to the Dáil next week, after it was published on on October 6 — the same day the budget was announced.

Mr Burke has proposed that the committee, report, and final stages of the bill be carried out in the Dáil on Wednesday, November 11.

The legislation will allow Fáilte Ireland to establish and oversee a national register of short-term lets, covering stays of up to 21 consecutive nights.

Hosts will be required to demonstrate planning compliance in order to register, and properties must have a valid registration number before they can be advertised or listed for short-term accommodation.

The Department of Enterprise has said the register will open from December 1.

In correspondence to the Oireachtas enterprise and tourism committee, Mr Burke said it was of "paramount" importance that the draft laws are enacted before the launch of the short-term lets register and asked for the committee's co-operation.

"The proposed timetable is necessary to support this objective," he said.

Opposition politicians have criticised the proposal. Committee member Rose Conway-Walsh, a Sinn Féin TD, called the timetable unacceptable.

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"This bill was published on Budget day, amid all the distractions, and is now being rushed through without proper scrutiny," she said.

“The Government is now attempting to rush this legislation through in order to meet its own deadline of December 1, when the Fáilte Ireland register will go live.

“Our committee has spent the past year engaging with stakeholders through pre-legislative scrutiny. Yet our report has not even been finalised, meaning the minister introduced the bill without the benefit of any of our recommendations."

She called it "bad governance" that sets "a dangerous precedent", and said that similar tactics were used with the AI Regulation Bill.

“Short-term letting providers need certainty, but all this Government is delivering is more confusion.” 

Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne said they wanted to see "strong restrictions" on short-term lets introduced as soon as possible.

“The Government have delayed the introduction of restrictions on short-term lets for years and now they suddenly want to rush through the legislation in one day," he said.

“In doing so, the Government are not taking the role of Dáil committees and the legislative process seriously and are trying to avoid debate and scrutiny.”