Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2026-04-28 ============================================================ Michael Collins (II), Cork South-West I want straight answers today on the delay and the disorder surrounding the short-term letting and tourism Bill. The general scheme was approved by the Government last April, yet we are here again with no Bill published, no final planning guidance and no clarity for the people whose livelihoods are directly affected. At the same time, tens of thousands of small family-run accommodation providers across the country, many of whom are in the rural and coastal communities we represent, are still being told they must be ready to comply with new rules by 20 May 2026. They are being asked to plan their futures, their homes and their businesses without seeing a single line of the law they are supposed to comply with. That is not good governance. Will the Taoiseach explain to the House why the Bill has still not been published? I raised this issue numerous times with the Taoiseach and others but the Government still went ahead and rammed through the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025. I have highlighted over and over again since then that this Bill will destroy smaller rural family businesses across the whole western seaboard. The Government is trying to make criminals of ordinary decent taxpayers. The tourism committee carried out pre-legislative scrutiny in January. I attended and spoke at the meeting and pleaded with the Government to use common sense. The report is still not published. I have asked for a full debate on the issue every week since then at the Business Committee and on the floor of the Dáil but to no avail. Last Tuesday I put down a Topical Issue on the matter but neither the senior Minister nor any of his two sidekicks could come into the House to debate the issue. Instead, I got a well-worn, stock answer delivered by a random junior Minister who appeared to lack a good grasp of the issue. Today's newspapers are reporting that the whole scheme is being kicked back to the summer or beyond and yet I cannot get a straight answer here in the House. There are rumblings of backbench division on this issue. If recent history has taught the Taoiseach anything, my advice would be that he sits up and listens on this one, if not to me then to those sitting behind him. The Government must not force families out of business for a foolish notion that it will free up thousands of properties for the rental market. Is it the idea to fleece them for the thousands in compliance fees while flushing a good going element of the rural economy down the toilet? Will the Taoiseach confirm for the House that the registration deadline of 20 May is dead in the water? Will he also confirm when the legislation will be published and commit to not ramming it through the House without proper debate and consideration of Opposition amendments? Finally, will he consider making the accommodation I have repeatedly asked for, that the established operators are treated with respect and granted a planning exemption in order to comply with Fáilte Ireland registration? --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-28/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:52+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-04-28