Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. He indicated that a total of 29 members of staff in his Department are working part-time, but how many of them are female? In raising this matter, I am particularly conscious of the need to continue as far as possible to maintain family-friendly work practices. How will the Haddington Road agreement impact, if at all, on people who are working part-time within the Department of the Taoiseach? Will those who are working part-time work even less, or will the options for flexitime or short-time working be eliminated altogether? It seems that in some quarters of the public service, management is saying that it is unable to manage the challenges of work-sharing patterns. We would all be loath to see the pattern of work-sharing being withdrawn. How does the Government view the issue of work-sharing and how family-friendly policies are reflected at the very top of the public service, including the Department of the Taoiseach?

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