Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
573. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the supports available to employers and employees to promote remote and flexible working; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12591/26]
View answerAs the deputy will be aware, there has been a significant long-term shift in attitudes to remote and hybrid working, and flexible working arrangements more broadly, amongst both employers and workers throughout the country since the pandemic. Acceptance of remote, hybrid and flexible working is high, and the evidence suggests that they are here to stay.
The most recent data from the Central Statistics Office for example show that around a million persons were working from home (either usually or sometimes) in the third quarter of 2025 – or 35% of those in employment – a ratio that has been fairly stable since the pandemic.
Remote, hybrid and flexible working represent a significant opportunity for creating a more inclusive labour market and society, particularly for people with caring responsibilities, people returning to the workforce, older people, people with disabilities. This in turn provides employers with access to a larger talent pool, with remote and hybrid options representing powerful tools for staff recruitment and retention which improves labour market and economic performance overall.
Both the National Remote Work Strategy and Our Rural Future, the Government's rural development policy, recognise the opportunity for improved balanced regional development and the rejuvenation of communities across Ireland that remote working presents - particularly through expanding the range of employment opportunities available to people living in, or wishing to return to, communities outside Ireland’s larger cities.
The Government launched the National Remote Work Strategy, 'Making Remote Work' in January 2021. The Strategy identified 15 actions to be undertaken to ensure that remote work is a permanent feature of the Irish workplace, and all these actions have been successfully delivered.
The 2025 Programme for Government re-affirms the commitment to promoting flexible working arrangements that benefit both workers and employers and Government is committed to facilitating remote and flexible working in a way which maximises economic, social and environmental benefits.
Most recently the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has commenced a statutory review of the remote working provisions of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. The 2023 Act provides all workers with the right to request a remote working arrangement, and this right has been in effect since March 2024. The purpose of this review is to assess the effectiveness of the legislation in providing the entitlements, to evaluate the clarity of the legislation and to identify any unintended consequences of the legislation.
As part of this review, my Department held public consultation which closed on 9 December 2025 and a nationally representative survey of employees and employers. The final report of this review will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous provisions Act 2023 also provides the right to request flexible working arrangements to parents and carers. Those provisions are under the remit of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality and are being reviewed by that Department. I understand that this review will also include further research on what additional flexibilities could be introduced for parents and carers.
Ensuring that the legislation underpinning remote and flexible work is effective is key to ensuring that their benefits are fully realised.
In addition to our work on the legislation, the Government has developed and introduced an evolving suite of policies and supports for remote working, including:
• The publication of the Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect by the Workplace Relations Commission in 2021.
• There is an income tax deduction for people working from home introduced as part of Budget 2022.
• The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, together with my Department, is leading the development of a National Hub Strategy which will inform the future direction of the National Hub Network.
• The National Hub Network, facilitated by the connectedhubs.ie platform, was launched in 2021. Underpinned by significant Government investment, there are currently 400 facilities across the country on-boarded to the online platform in communities across Ireland.
• The Programme for Government sets a number of targets which include the completion of the installation of high-speed fibre broadband to 1.1 million people, including homes, farms, and businesses nationwide, by 2026.
• My Department continues to update the Guidance for Working Remotely website, which assists workers and organisations to implement remote and hybrid working practices in a safe and sustainable manner.
• The Government also co-funds remote work skills training programmes, such as Leading and Hybrid Remote Teams provided by Laois Offaly ETB and Grow Remote, and The FORWARD Programme which provides SMEs personalised support to design, implement, and sustain effective remote work practices.
• Agencies under the aegis of my department are also playing their part: For example, Enterprise Ireland acknowledges the growing importance of flexible and hybrid work arrangements in enhancing business competitiveness, attracting talent, and supporting sustainable growth and is actively assisting its private sector clients in adopting hybrid work models through strategic initiatives and funding programmes which support the digital transformation and leadership development within enterprise which underpin successful remote and hybrid working. Enterprise Ireland-funded enterprise centres also form an important part of the Connected Hubs network.
Finally, I understand the need to monitor the impacts of new ways of working. To this end, my Department is co-funding to the Working in Ireland Survey, undertaken by University College Dublin., and aims to interview several thousand persons across Ireland about their experiences of working life. The survey investigates a variety of employment quality factors across the entire island of Ireland, including work-life balance and remote working. I understand that the fieldwork has been completed and that we can expect research output in the coming months.
In addition, the Department of Taoiseach has requested that the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) undertake research into the Evolution and Impact of Remote and Hybrid Working in Ireland. A working group has been established to oversee the research, which is expected be completed by mid-2026.
I think these pieces of research will be a useful input into the debate which will help inform the direction of remote working and flexible policy over the next few years.
