Flexible Work Practices

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

Questions (275)

Emer Higgins

Question:

275. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps taken by her Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within her Department who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; her plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45374/21]

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Written answers

Minister for Rural and Community Development

The civil service has developed a comprehensive Blended Working Policy Framework which is currently being discussed with employee representatives and which will guide Civil Service employers on how to roll out the measures required in order to put blended working in place on a permanent basis and develop their own Blended Working policies.

The Department, like other civil service employers, has plans to transition staff back to the office in late September 2021, on a staggered basis. It is intended that our enduring Blending Working policy will come into effect in April 2022. Currently, 100% of my Department's staff have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely and this has been in place since March 2020 since the onset of the pandemic, and is established through the Office of Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) under the Office of Government Procurement Framework (OGP).