Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I did not mean to give a flippant answer. This is something we are taking seriously, both in terms of remote working and the four-day week.

This will be very difficult for some sectors but it may well be possible for other sectors. I am conscious we have done a lot over recent years to improve working conditions, including employment rights for employees and so on, in respect of a range of things. We also have to make sure we are listening to employers regarding the affordability of some of these measures. We have built an extraordinary economy in Ireland, which is very competitive internationally and continues to attract a lot of investment and growth from abroad, and we need to make sure we do not do anything to undermine that competitiveness. We also have to be open-minded about new ways of working and doing things. That was enforced on us, in some ways, as a result of the Covid pandemic when it comes to remote working, which is now here to stay. The four-day week sounds very attractive but my job and that of my Department is to assess robustly whether it is viable in the context of productivity, competitiveness and a functioning economy. We are trying to work through that at present. There will be a very interesting discussion and debate when that process concludes.