Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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574. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the total number of persons who are employed by his Department; the number who are currently working remotely; and the estimated number of persons in his Department who ordinarily worked from home prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. [33970/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There are 391 people employed by my Department. Currently, most of these staff are working in a hybrid manner in the office and remotely. Given the nature of the Department’s remit, staff have attended onsite throughout the pandemic to discharge essential tasks. Employees in certain roles are attending on site every day. No employee is allowed to work completely remotely, other than in an extremely limited number of cases concerning health issues, which were considered on a case by case basis following a medical assessment.

This approach is being monitored and the Department is developing a Blended Working Policy based on the central government policy, the Civil Service Blended Working Framework. The Department is currently reviewing this framework with a view to finalising its Blended Working Policy tailored to its specific business needs.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic my Department did not have the facility for staff to work from home.