Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for the points they made. It is probably a little too early to know what the equilibrium will look like in terms of working from home. Even if we did not have the energy price change that is occurring and we were living in - to use that phrase we used for a long time - a "new normal", I still think it would be early to see what the new patterns will be regarding where work will take place. The world of work is undergoing so much change at the moment, not just due to the effects of Covid-19 but due to the fact that so many employers are working so hard to keep the workers they have and to get new ones, combined with the digitisation of the workplace that is taking place.

I do not believe the State should always be the first port of call for dealing with some of these costs. If this is an arrangement that works for the company, employer and employee, then the employer and company have a role to play in looking at how some costs can be alleviated. I know many different employers have done that over time.

The point was made by Deputy Moynihan that many of the benefits, particularly outside of our cities, have been really positive; I can see that. That is why going ahead with the national broadband plan was clearly the right thing to do. As noted by Deputy Alan Farrell, I am aware of how some of this may change if people see some of the costs of working from home begin to change. We will, of course, continue to monitor this to ensure we have an appropriate policy in place in that regard. We made a change last year and I will continue to monitor how it is impacting on where work takes place.

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