Mr. Mark Doheny:

As regards the public service and the wider public sector, in March the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published its roadmap for hybrid working in which it identified certain customer-facing or front-line roles that may not have scope for remote working at this time but may have such scope down the line. It is rolling out that roadmap to the wider public sector. It is operating to its own timeline. Certain jobs may have an element that will require on-site attendance. The Bill specifies that the policy of the organisation should establish roles that would have suitability, or roles that are inherently unsuitable, perhaps, for remote working. As regards the individual roles referred to by the Senator, I do not know what those roles are but it would be a matter for the public sector and the respective Departments and local authorities to comment in line with their requirements as employers.