Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. Technology now allows people to work from home and remotely work in a way that has never been possible before but there are a number of issues, chief among which is one to which the Minister referred. If people are working at home they are always at work and always at home. There needs to be a clear definition of remote work as a protected form of work. We have seen, and it should be encouraged, that people have the right to work from home. I worked for a union and we often fought for the right for people to be able to work from home and access remote working. Now we find it is almost an imperative and people are being encouraged to do it. It requires very specified legislation to ensure these protections are in place. We also need to be cognisant of the fact that many people live in overcrowded or unsuitable accommodation. For them, working from home is not necessarily an option but remote working in a hub or similar would be an option. This is something the Minister should also be looking at.

See this speech in context