Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2022
56. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has plans to engage with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the report on the right to request remote working, specifically, the reasons to allow an employer to deny a remote working request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6996/22]
View answerOn 25 January the Government approved the priority drafting of the Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022. I carried out a public consultation in April 2021 and there was significant engagement, which included submissions from both employer and trade union representative groups. I have also been updating the employer and trade union representative groups on the legislation through the Labour Employer Economic Forum.
Pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment commenced this week. Employee and Employer Representative Groups may also have an opportunity to address the Committee. If so I would be interested to hear what they have to say. I will consider suggestions from all sides to improve the legislation.
An employer may, having given the application due consideration, decline a request for remote working stating the business grounds for so doing. The intention is that where a request is declined, it must be clear to the employee the reason it has been declined. The grounds included are drawn from the submissions received within the public consultation and also reflect the international review of similar legislation. The new law is intervening in the relationship between employee and employer and it has to strike a balance that is legally sound.
The Department is currently looking further at the legal issues related to the redress provisions and a right of appeal, and is taking legal advice on the matter.
My officials and I will be happy to engage with ICTU over the coming weeks to discuss the legislation.
