Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021
223. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to allow civil servants to continue to work remotely when they wish to in order to not to lose the benefits of work-life balance and lost time and energy due to commuting and also the environmental benefits of less cars on the road; if he is engaging with trade unions on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47997/21]
View answerThe Government has committed in the Programme for Government to mandating public sector employers to move to 20% home and remote working.
In July, 2021 the Government approved a Policy Statement on Blended Working in the Civil Service, which was produced by my Department and agreed by the Civil Service Management Board. The Policy Statement commits the Civil Service to implementing a policy of blended working for the future that can provide flexibility to both employees and their employers in a manner that supports the continued delivery of high quality services to Government, the public and business while providing employees, where appropriate, with choice and opportunity.
Remote working in the Civil Service, post pandemic, will be facilitated on a blended basis. In this context, Officials in my Department have been working with, and continue to work with employers across the Civil and Public Service to develop a Blended Working Policy Framework for the Civil Service. This Framework focuses on the longer-term approach to remote working in the sector and can assist in providing a consistent approach across the wider public sector. The primary Principle set out in the Framework is that blended working must support the business needs of the Organisation. Blended working presents an opportunity to meet business needs in a new way of working; to enhance service delivery; underpin business continuity; and improve the performance of organisations, provided the role being performed is suitable to be carried out remotely.
The Framework will be finalised over the coming weeks, following engagement with employee representatives which is currently underway. When this engagement has concluded and the Framework is agreed, it will be rolled out to all civil service organisations. The Framework will provide consistency on certain issues and inform the development of organisational blended working policies which will be tailored to meet the specific requirements of each Department/Office.
