James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the Right to Request Remote Work Bill 2021 will take effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44650/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Right to Request Remote Working Bill is part of a broader Government vision to make remote working a permanent feature of Ireland’s workforce in a way that can benefit all – economically, socially and environmentally.

The Right to Request Remote Working Bill will, for the first time, provide a legal framework around which requesting, approving or refusing a request for remote work can be based. It will also provide legal clarity to employers on their obligations for dealing with such requests.

On 25th January the Government approved the priority drafting of the Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022.

Pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment commenced on 9th February and the Report of the Committee was published on the 7th of July. Department officials are carefully considering its contents and have conducted some informal engagement with stakeholders including the social partners.

The Bill will be progressed through the Oireachtas as quickly as possible.