The planned signing of the Airbnb register by the Cabinet was postponed due to disagreements over last-minute amendments.
Enterprise and Tourism Minister Peter Burke intended to present the Fáilte Ireland register at the Cabinet meeting, which took place yesterday, but it was dropped from the agenda, due to a combination of interdepartmental disagreements and procedural issues.
The proposed reforms, intended to be jointly presented by Burke and Housing Minister James Browne, aimed to address the impact of short-term rentals on the housing market while balancing tourism needs. T tensions arose between the Department of Housing and the Department of Enterprise, which Burke oversees, over the specifics of the plan.
Sources indicated that the the cabinet memo was deemed incomplete, lacking a “key decision point” related to necessary legislative amendments. Additionally, last-minute changes to the memo, which Burke brought to the meeting, complicated matters further, as they would have required a second amending memo to be presented the following week. This lack of cohesion and readiness led to the decision to pause the plan for a week.
Disagreements also surfaced over content and approach. Browne reportedly felt the memo omitted items he expected to be included, while Burke was unwilling to alter it on the day of the meeting.
Efforts to resolve these differences, such as a proposed meeting between the two ministers, reportedly stalled when Burke did not receive a response from Browne’s side—though this was contested by sources close to Browne. As a result, the cabinet opted to revisit the reforms at the next meeting, reflecting the need for further alignment and refinement before proceeding.
