Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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74. To ask the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment the status of a public policy on remote working; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34652/20]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As our country continues to navigate Covid-19, remote working has become more important than ever before. This is reflected in the Programme for Government, which contains commitments aimed at facilitating remote work across Ireland. The Programme for Government recognises that remote work can provide multiple benefits in areas such as balanced regional development, climate action and work/life balance.

In December 2019, my Department published the Remote Work in Ireland report which outlined the prevalence and types of remote working arrangements in Ireland as well as the factors influencing its adoption. This year, as a response to COVID-19, my Department launched a new webpage dedicated to providing guidance for remote working for both employers and employees.

In July, my Department launched a public consultation on Remote Work. We received 522 submissions from employers, employees, representative bodies and special interest groups. Based on the insights garnered from the consultation, we have recently updated our guidance webpage to include new information. The guidance webpage now also includes a checklist for employers considering adopting remote working arrangements in the longer term. The guidance webpage will continue to be updated regularly to act as a live resource for employers and employees.

Building on this work, my Department is currently developing a national Remote Work Strategy. An Interdepartmental Group (IDG) has been formed to steer the delivery of the Strategy. This Group has broad representation across government departments and state agencies. The Strategy will consider what changes are needed to develop an environment that encourages remote working solutions. It is expected that the Strategy will be published before the end of this year.