Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 May 2012
» ...
»
Public Service Staff
281 Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there is a policy across the public service with regard to employees working from home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21857/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has responsibility for e-working policy in the civil service. This is outlined in Circular 4/2003: Pilot schemes to promote e-working in the civil service. Most government departments introduced pilot e-working schemes.
In 2009, the Minister for Transport published "Smarter Travel: A Sustainable Transport Future” which represented a new transport policy for Ireland for the period 2009-2020. As part of the Smarter Travel Policy Framework, an interdepartmental working group, comprising of representatives from the then Departments of Transport, Finance, Enterprise Trade and Employment, Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Environment Heritage and Local Government, HSE and the Office of Public Works was established to consider how best to progress the issue of e-working in the civil and public service. The conclusion of that working group was that although e-working was technologically feasible, it was likely that progress would be (a) over the long term as the public service engages in a process of transformative change and (b) through the initiatives of individual departments or agencies in promotinge-working as an accepted practice.
The transformation agenda accepted by both parties to the Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 recognises that previously agreed work-life balance policies and arrangements may need to be reviewed and revised in the context of more integrated public services operating with a reduced cohort of staff. Under any such review of these arrangements, options for e-working may be considered where feasible. This would be a matter for each public service body to consider in light of their own business requirements.
