Written answers
Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Departmental Staff
Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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48. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide figures for the number of staff directly employed in his Department who work from home/remotely as part of their working week; the percentage of staff on an overall basis who work from home at least one day a week; the number of working hours on average per week that staff in his Department work from home; the gender breakdown of those who avail of the opportunity to work from home/remotely; if they will provide the figures for 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3238/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has a policy on blended working for staff at HQ offices which is aligned with the Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service organisations. It is subject to ongoing review to ensure it is being implemented in an effective way, is meeting the needs of the people the Department serves while also meeting the needs of staff.
Staff based at offices, whose roles are deemed suitable for blended working, can apply to work at least one day a week from home. If their application is approved, they are permitted to work from home for a maximum of 50% of their regular attendance pattern over a four week period, subject to operational requirements.
As of Friday 19 January 2024, there were 701 approved applications for blended working, representing 40% of total staff working across those offices. The breakdown of those with approved blended working arrangements on that date was 402 female and 299 male.
Looking back to December 2022, there were 704 approved applications for blended working, with 399 applications from female staff members and 305 from male.
The numbers of staff based at HQ offices who are availing of blended working arrangements can vary month on month, depending on staff moves, as not all roles within the Department are deemed suitable for blended working.
It should be noted that at present, only a small cohort of officers in the Passport Service can avail of blended working, and the vast majority of staff attend offices on a fulltime basis for operational reasons. It is hoped, however, to roll-out further opportunities for blended and flexible working across the Passport Service in the course of this year.
My Department has developed a separate Blended Working Framework for Diplomatic Missions. While acknowledging that blended working may not be suitable in all cases, both from personal and organisational perspectives, the Department is committed to exploring available options while taking account of business needs.
Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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49. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide figures for the number of staff directly employed in agencies and bodies directly under his aegis who work from home/remotely as part of their working week; the percentage of staff on an overall basis who work from home at least one day a week; the number of working hours on average per week that staff in relevant agencies and bodies work from home; the gender breakdown of those who avail of the opportunity to work from home/remotely; if he will provide the figures for 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3256/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that there are no State boards or agencies operating under the aegis of my Department.
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