Ms Patricia King:

Deputy Shanahan made a general comment about hospitality. It would not be appropriate to engage on that this morning. I am sure the Deputy and I could have a very interesting conversation and debate on what needs to happen in the hospitality sector. I am not sure we would ever have a meeting of minds on the matter.

As for remote working, the Bill at present states that if a worker requests remote working, the employer can use any grounds - any - unfettered to refuse. That is not objective, fair or reasonable and it needs to be addressed. The current proposition in the legislation states that if a worker has from his or her employer a rejection of a request for remote working, that worker cannot appeal that substantive objection to the WRC. That is unfair and unreasonable. From our point of view, there are several ways to remedy that. We are looking for a remedy to this. We think that engagement would address a lot of this and that we could have reformed legislation that works. That would not confer a right to remote working on every employee. It would allow workers to apply for remote working in reasonable circumstances and allow the employer either to accept it or to refuse it on reasonable, objective grounds. It would allow the worker to say, "I do not think that is fair so I will go to the WRC and appeal it.". It would allow that appeal against the decision of the employer to happen. Neither of those exigencies is included in this proposed legislation. Our aim is to have that reformed, and we hope the Deputies and Senators on the committee will assist in arriving at that place.