Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

“That Seanad Éireann: - supports the recent Government launch of the National Remote Work Strategy by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; acknowledges: - the transformative impact remote working can have on the workforce and communities;

- the difficulties people have faced working from home under emergency Covid-19 restrictions;

- the progress already made by recent Governments, including investment in co-working spaces, a network of hubs like DigiWest, along the Atlantic Economic Corridor, broadband connection points, the National Broadband Plan, Broadband Officers, remote jobs, community infrastructure, training opportunities and building local remote working communities, through the work of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Rural and Community Development, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Local Authorities, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Grow Remote,and the Western Development Commission;

- sár-obair atá déanta ag Údarás na Gaeltachta chun Gréasán nuálaíochta agus digiteacha a bhunú trasna na Gaeltachta agus na hOileáin Gaeltachta cois cósta; and calls on the Government to: - deliver on the actions contained within the strategy, including to:

- mandate public sector employers, colleges, and other public bodies to move to 20 percent home and remote working in 2021;

- review the treatment of remote working for the purposes of tax and expenditure in the next Budget;

- provide employers and employees with ongoing up-to-date guidance on remote work;

- explore how the National Broadband Plan can be accelerated;

- map, invest and grow the network of remote working hubs across Ireland;

- legislate for the right to request remote working;

- develop a code of practice for the right to disconnect;

- develop national data on the incidence and frequency of remote work;

- identify a set of appropriate economic metrics to track the impact of remote work; and

- promote remote work amongst businesses, including skills, training and best practice;

- firmly establish equal opportunities as the cornerstone of the strategy;

- make remote work visible in the job creation sector and support remote job creation in communities all over Ireland;

- develop and fund remote work community infrastructure like childcare and sustainable transport as well as broadband and remote working hubs;

- prioritise the impact and potential of remote work in local and national planning strategies, including forthcoming County and City Development Plans, the Rural Strategy, National Economic Plan and the National Development Plan;

- assist individuals, communities and companies through the remote work cultural transformation; and

- build a remote work ecosystem.”

I wish to share time with Senator John McGahon.