Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his engagement on this Bill over recent weeks. It is tremendously important. It is the end of an era with regard to the unwinding of the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, enactments from a decade ago. That is an important juncture for public servants. As the Minister of State said, they have had a very difficult 12 months. There have been numerous challenges and perhaps there will be new methods of working in the future, including remote working, which shows potential and which may have positive impacts with regard to regional balance. Working from home may also help to reduce our carbon footprint and improve our quality of life. Many areas of importance to public servants may potentially be covered in this Bill. I again thank the Minister of State for his engagement and his positive stewardship of the Bill through the Houses.