I wish to advise the Deputy that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is driving the implementation of the National Remote Work Strategy and coordinates this through its Remote Work Interdepartmental Group, which includes representatives from multiple Government Departments and agencies.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is leading on the legislative right to request remote work, and is providing guidance to employers and employees to promote the adoption of remote and hybrid working arrangements. Its #MakingRemoteWork communications campaign aims to raise awareness of the advice and information available from Government to help workers and employers facilitate more remote and blended working.
The Deputy will be aware that a central policy framework for blended working in the civil service, which is being led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, will be finalised in the coming weeks. This framework will inform the development of organisation- level blended working policies tailored to the specific requirements of each Department and the offices, agencies and bodies under their remit, whilst ensuring a consistency of approach across key policy areas in the civil service. There is recognition also of a need to create opportunities for people to balance their working and personal lives more effectively where possible.
All staff in my Department who can work remotely have access to video conferencing facilities. The video conferencing facilities in use were procured following Office of Government Procurement (OGP) guidelines. My Department has commenced work on developing its own blended working policy and arrangements, which takes into account its specific business and operational needs and requirements, while remaining grounded in the Civil Service Framework. Blended working arrangements are expected to be implemented by March 2022.
