The agencies under the aegis of my Department are currently working in line with Government COVID-19 guidance, meaning that the majority of staff who could work from home, have worked from home during the pandemic period. Guidance now provides for a phased and staggered approach in respect of the return to the workplace being possible from 20th September onwards.
A central framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service for the post-Covid era will be finalised in conjunction with employee representatives over the coming months, and after that it is expected that the public service will follow suit. This framework will inform the development of organisation level blended working policies tailored to the specific requirements of each agency, whilst ensuring a consistency of approach across the sectors.
Once agreed and introduced, staff of the agencies under the aegis of my Department can apply to their own HR manager, via the application form in the Framework, for a blended working pattern. It is not possible at present to predict what the capacity in respect of applications for blended working post Covid will be.
In line with the Government campaign - #MakingRemoteWork – I am supportive of the national remote working strategy, and of the agencies under the aegis of my Department facilitating all reasonable and practical applications for blended working in the post-Covid era, while ensuring the continued effective and efficient delivery of business.
In respect of the elements of the Deputy’s question regarding remote video conferencing and the framework associated with same, I have sought a response from each of the Non-Commercial State Agencies, and once that information has been received, I will revert to the Deputy under separate cover. I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in respect of the staff of the HSE and the S.38 agencies under their aegis.
