Latest: Housing Minister wants to regulate property websites

The Housing Minister says websites should not be allowed to advertise sub-standard accommodation.

Latest: Housing Minister wants to regulate property websites

Update 12.49pm: The Housing Minister says websites should not be allowed to advertise sub-standard accommodation.

He provided an update on short-term letting regulations to an Oireachtas Housing Committee this morning.

Eoghan Murphy feels publishers need to take responsibility for the properties they are advertising online.

He says the Government is considering legislation on the issue.

Minister Murphy says websites should not be allowed to advertise sub-standard accommodation, and that all participants in the market must act responsibly.

"There should be an obligation on a publisher of a website to ensure that they are not allowing the advertisment of illegal practises, so I'm talking about substandard accommodation and everything else," he said.

"I would like to move to a point where we are regulating the platforms as well."

He says it's a cross departmental issue that is currently being worked on:

"We have had discussions between my department and Minister Ross's department about that next stage that needs to happen, regulation of the platforms," he added.

"It cuts across as well to the regulation of other platforms that advertise letting properties."

Meanwhile, this morning's committee meeting went ahead without its chairperson Maria Bailey.

She is set to meet the Taoiseach today following her abandoned legal action after she fell off a swing at a Dublin hotel.

Earlier: Housing Committee to hear from Eoghan Murphy today; Maria Bailey won't chair meeting

Update 7.57am: TD Maria Bailey will not be chairing today's Oireachtas Housing Committee.

Vice-chair Pat Casey will oversee the meeting pending Deputy Bailey's upcoming meeting with the Taoiseach.

It follows the TD's now withdrawn legal case against a Dublin hotel where she fell off a swing and subsequent radio interview that was sharply criticised by party colleagues.

Today's committee meeting will hear from Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.

Committee member Eoin O'Broin says Deputy Bailey has a lot of explaining to do before she can take up her position as chair of the Oireachtas housing Committee.

He says people are still looking for answers from her.

"I found it very, very difficult to believe or accept the version of events that Maria Bailey put on the record.

"I'm not going to make a judgement until I hear the outcome of the meeting with Leo Varadkar but I do think that she has an awful lot of explaining to do if she's to come back and resume business as normal."

Mr O'Broin outlined what will be discussed at today's meeting.

"The first is the quarterly review of Rebuilding Ireland," he said.

"We've seen over the course of the year homelessness rising, the cost of buying or renting a home rising and the output of social or affordable housing either non-existent or glacially slow so obviously we'll be challenging the minister on all of those issues today.

"We'll also be dealing with the new regulations for the short-term letting sector, something that urgently needs to be implemented."

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