To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail (i) the number of active short-term holiday let licences, in each constituency, in each of the last five years; and (ii) what conversations he has had with Tourism NI regarding the number of short-term holiday let licences granted in holiday areas, which are experiencing a shortage of long-term rental properties for local residents.

All tourist accommodation in Northern Ireland requires inspection and certification by Tourism NI, irrespective of the duration the business is being used as a tourist let. A certificate is renewable every four years and ensures a minimum standard is met by all accommodation providers.

For tourism businesses within the self catering sector, a tourist let may not be the primary use, with many properties also being utilised as student accommodation or personal holiday homes during the off-peak season.

Tourism NI is not legally required to hold a record of how many trading weeks tourism businesses operate but does record accommodation stock within each council area.

The latest figures for self catering stock by Council area including bedspace capacity are set out in the table below.

There are other statutory requirements, such as planning permission or change of use requests for tourist accommodation, which fall outside the scope of Tourism NI’s legislative remit. Such responsibilities sit with individual councils. Tourism NI is not therefore responsible for controlling the number of tourist lets in any given area.