Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

164. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of persons employed in his Department that have a formal agreement to work from home one day per week, two days per week and five days per week; his Department’s policy in respect of facilitating requests by persons to work from home; and the number of persons that have made requests to work from home in 2021 and to date in 2022, that have been declined. [44579/22]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department launched it's Blended Working Policy on 1st July 2022. The policy was developed in line with the parameters of the Civil Service Blended Working Policy Framework.

The office remains the principle workplace.

Blended working arrangements are agreed at a local level in each business unit. A key principle of the policy is that we ensure business needs are met to the highest professional standards while allowing for the maximum amount of flexibility and personal choice for our staff in relation to their working arrangements. As such, the pattern of days working from home and in the office is agreed at a local level in each business unit.

Blended working is available to the majority of staff with the exception of a small number in roles that are customer facing where office attendance is necessary to undertake the duties of the role. As blended working arrangements are agreed locally, I am not aware that any requests have been declined.

The staff in my Department have shown that they can adapt to this working model very successfully while maintaining our services to stakeholders. The policy will be kept under regular review to ensure its continued successful implementation.