2026-04-28

123. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department intends to review legislation on remote working arrangements in the context of the current fuel crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30948/26]

My question is in light of the current fuel crisis, which there is no sign will end any time soon.

I thank the Deputy for her question. There has been a significant and lasting shift in attitudes towards remote working in recent years. Central Statistics Office data show that nearly 1 million people were working from home, either usually or sometimes, in the fourth quarter of 2025 and that figure has remained broadly stable since the pandemic. The national remote work strategy and Our Rural Future highlight the role remote working can play in expanding employment opportunities outside Ireland’s largest urban centres. The 2025 programme for Government reaffirms our commitment to this and recognises that flexible working arrangements can deliver economic, social and environmental benefits for workers and employers. Ireland was among the first in the EU to introduce a right to request remote working and this was commenced for all workers through the Work Life Balance Act 2024. The legislation is accompanied by a code of practice that provides guidance for employers and employees on how to comply with the legislation. My Department recently concluded a statutory review of the operation of the right to request remote working legislation and a report of the review was laid before the Houses in early March. The findings of the review were informed by a nationally representative survey, a public consultation that received more than 8,000 responses and engagement with the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC. The review found that, when used, the legislation works effectively and that the majority of requests are approved either fully or partially, demonstrating that the legislation can facilitate compromise. The reported level of administrative burden is also low. However, the key findings also looked at the challenges around awareness, with fewer than half of employees being aware of their right to request remote working. As with Ireland’s broader suite of employment legislation, the legislation will be kept under ongoing review. However, providing a right to request strikes the right balance between flexibility and the need for businesses to remain competitive, profitable and viable.

I thank the Minister of State. I apologise. I forgot to thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for facilitating my going first. I heard similar words from the Minister of State's colleague a short while ago when we were discussing the strengthening of workers' rights under the Sinn Féin motion and it rings hollow, I am afraid. What we know about and what we have seen is just headline after headline about people being called back into the workplace. People are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis and now a fuel crisis and there are ways we can respond to that as a society. During the Covid-19 pandemic, remote working became something that worked for people. Yet, since then, we have seen it rolled back again and again. I literally just got a ping on my phone while I was sitting here, which was a headline published by thejournal.ie two hours ago about Aer Lingus calling its staff back four days per week. The Minister of State's numbers do not paint the actual picture. The 94%, which is a great result, applies to 70 application since 2024. Awareness raising is not the only answer. There are a lot more reasons people are not using this system. It is not simply because they do not know about it.

The fuel crisis is exactly why flexibility matters. It is exactly why we introduced this legislation and, where remote or blended working is feasible, it can immediately reduce the cost of commuting and mean lower household expenses. It can also ease pressure on workers. We have put the legislative framework in place. It is already in use. It has been very beneficial to those who use it. At the same time, we have also introduced packages to support workers with energy costs. Remote working is part of the solution but it is not the only solution the Government has introduced to deal with the cost-of-energy crisis. Our approach is focused on the fact there are different realities in different workplaces. Not all jobs can be done remotely. While we are supporting workers, we are also ensuring business needs are met through challenging periods. That is really our focus as regards the right to request remote working.

Essentially, what I am hearing is that the Government responded, it built a solution that is working and that there is nothing to see here. I am saying it is not working. I looked at the report by the Department. Although its conclusion states everything is working, which is what we heard again today numerous times, a few pages earlier it talks about the toothless tiger critique and states: "The qualitative findings clarify that this is not a vague or general complaint, but a specific and targeted critique of the perceived power imbalance within the current framework." That is my issue. It is laid upon a situation where we do not have collective bargaining so people are not coming forward to exercise their right to request remote working. They have no power to push back against multinational corporations, which at a whim can decide they want people to work two, three, four or five days in the office. That is the issue. Workers have no strength and the legislation does not help that in any way whatsoever. We could be leaders in this. That is what kills me most. The Government tries to tell us we are leaders in the technology space. We could be leaders in this, by tapping into this technology and setting the trend for what we should be doing in facilitating remote working to deal with crises right now.

The numbers speak for themselves. Close to 1 million people work remotely in either blended or hybrid models. That is the reality. The shift since the Covid-19 pandemic has been enormous. It has been supported by the Government through the national remote working strategy. We have continued to roll out the national broadband plan, which will reach more than 1.1 million people in the most rural areas. That allows them to bridge the gap between jobs for which they might have to relocate to cities and jobs they can do at home. The Government has gone even further. We have legislated for the right to disconnect. The national hubs network has more than 400 remote working hubs nationwide and more than €3 billion has been invested in high-speed broadband. That very much re-emphasises the Government's priority, which is to make sure remote working works for everyone and that those who want to work remotely have the legislative framework and code of practice under the WRC.