Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
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94. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he intends to expand the provisions of flexible working and remote working contained in the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 to all employees, beyond those who are in care relationships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6033/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 was included in the Government Legislative Programme for Autumn 2022 as priority legislation for drafting and publication in that session. The Bill has since passed all stages in Dáil Éireann and is currently before the Seanad at Committee Stage.

The Bill includes provisions to transpose Article 9 of the EU Work Life Balance Directive which provides for a right to request flexible working for parents and carers. Separately, the Government brought amendments to the Bill at Report Stage to incorporate the provisions of the Right to Request Remote Work Bill 2021 into this Bill.

Under the provisions of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022, as approved by the Dáil, all employees can make a request for remote work but the right to request flexible working only extends to parents and carers, as defined under the Directive. The Government has committed, however, to reviewing these provisions after two years to consider extending the right to request flexible working to all employees.