Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
493. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the effect that blended working will have on OPW occupational efficiency plans and targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41054/22]
View answer496. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if working from home protocols will result in a reduction in overall OPW portfolio size; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41057/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 493 and 496 together.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) actively monitors Government office accommodation in conjunction with their clients and in line with the Estate Management Strategy. We will continue to do so in light of any impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on office use and in line with contractual obligations.
There is no doubt that the pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on the way we all work and more particularly the role of the office as the main location for civil servants to carry out their duties. The civil service as a whole now needs to examine its attitude and approach to the workplace. Traditional, total reliance on building-based work locations/solutions into the future needs to be actively examined. Offices are likely to remain an essential place of work but now may be used differently by personnel working a hybrid work arrangement whereby they attend the workplace for part of the week only.
In March 2021 the Government published “Making Remote Work - National Remote Work Strategy”. The objective of the Strategy is to ensure that remote working is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace in a way that maximises economic, social and environmental benefits. Throughout 2021, the OPW actively engaged with the Civil Service Management Board to advance a centralised framework on blended working across the Civil Service. This centralised framework for blended working across the Civil Service was published in March 2022. Government Departments are now formalising their own blended working policies in accordance with this centralised framework.
While the implementation of Blended Working by individual Departments will no doubt have an impact on the office portfolio managed by the OPW, the level of this impact will take some time to manifest itself. The OPW are actively engaged with their Clients on how the workplace can be adapted to support their business and operational requirements in the context of hybrid work strategies. This engagement will continue over the coming months as Departments finalise their medium to long term accommodation requirements based on the adoption of blended working policies.
Every opportunity will be taken to improve occupational efficiency in line with Client business models and OPW Strategic Plans ensuring that the office portfolio is fit for purpose into the future and delivers value for money for the taxpayer.
