Mr. Dermot Mulligan:

Regarding the right to appeal, the Deputy is correct. The Tánaiste has asked us to look to see how we can enhance the wording there.

It is in the context of an employer-employee relationship. The question is how much can we influence this and to what extent we will interfere with it. Many employers and employees make their own contractual arrangements. We are very actively looking at the issue. It is very definitely a work in progress.

With regard to the 13 grounds and whether the correct balance is struck, this is something we will look at. I am aware we have looked at a number of countries where the number of grounds varies from five to eight. We have included 13 in our proposal. It is something we will look at. There is a point at which it is not so much a question of the number of grounds but what the sense of it is. We will be looking at it again and taking on board many of the views that were expressed on the publication of the general scheme and that will be expressed today in the hearing. We are looking at getting the balance right. We want to create a framework with a right for employees to request remote working and employers then have to respond in a reasonable way. How we set up a framework for this is what we are teasing out at present.