Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Indeed. I agree with everything Senator Currie said. In some ways our amendment strikes to the very heart of the Bill and what I see as an artificial distinction between remote work and flexible work. In the world of work people want flexibility on both hours and location. We have already heard the debate here about who should be included - whether within a family a niece or nephew or even a neighbour is included. As we all know, life is messy. I am very uncomfortable that we would prescribe the types of caring responsibilities that take place in households.

Flexible work is not just about children or care, although, obviously, that is what is being alluded to here. It is about so much more than that. It is about the ability to take public transport or to consider alternative means of working. I continually come up against this and I am sure the Minister is also hearing it. People want flexible hours because travelling to work during rush hour will take them twice as long as would be the case if they can start a bit earlier or a bit later. That is a really simple thing. If we are serious about trying to encourage people onto buses or trains or to cycle - I know from trying to encourage people to cycle that they do not want to cycle while the city is heaving but maybe cycle a bit later - then we must allow those flexible hours. My appeal is that we allow flexible work for all. I know this legislation is subject to review within a certain period, but why wait for that review, why not do this now?

I refer to the difference in the uptake of flexible work between men and women. A legitimate concern has been expressed that in giving flexible work rights to certain workers, only those who predominantly have the caring responsibilities will take that up. That is the antithesis of what want. We want greater equality in the household between men and women, and within workplaces we want just as many men as women taking up flexible work arrangements. I would cast a serious question mark over the incidence of men requesting flexible work arrangements because of caring responsibilities. We need to encourage as many people as possible to be able to stay in the workforce when they have other responsibilities in their lives. How can we ensure people can stay in the workforce when they do not necessarily have easy public transport or other transport options?

The right to flexible work for all employees would really help those in a number of categories.First are those with a disability. Compared with every other EU member state, Ireland has the largest number of disabled persons who are jobless. That is a stark figure. Second are lone parents. Compared with every other EU member state, Ireland has the highest share of jobless lone parents. The Minister might say that lone parents are somewhat covered in these flexible work provisions, but only up to a certain age, after which caveats apply. Where does this Bill speak to those with disabilities? We are not speaking to them at all. This legislation could be a tool for trying to improve the appalling employment rates among those with disabilities. I have no doubt that, in the broad Department he manages, the Minister wants to introduce legislation that encourages people with disabilities to join the workforce and that said legislation will come further down the line, but there is an opportunity to do it in the here and now.

It is sad that we are seeking to have an artificial distinction between remote work and flexible work. There has been a myriad of surveys. Senator Currie mentioned the Central Statistic Office's data on the demand for flexible work in terms of place and hours of work. I appeal to the Minister to reform this Bill dramatically so as to ensure that flexible work is available to all.