Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

687. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills 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. [33976/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There are 223 (213.37 FTE[1]) people currently employed by my Department. A phased return to a physical attendance in the workplace commenced for staff members in the Department following the easing of Government restrictions on 21 January and most staff are currently attending the office for at least two days per week and working remotely for the remaining days.  Following the publication of the Blended Working Policy Framework for the Civil Service by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, TD, a blended working policy for my Department is being developed based on the overarching framework and tailored for our business requirements. It is planned to roll this out to staff in quarter 3 of this year. As my Department was established in August 2020, after the onset of COVID-19, there were no staff members ordinarily working from home prior to the pandemic.

[1] Fulltime equivalent