Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 April 2026
149. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the flexible working and remote working policies in place for civil servants in his Department; if there is any discrepancy in these policies based on seniority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28927/26]
View answer150. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the flexible working and remote working policies in place for staff that work for any agencies under the remit of his Department; if there is any discrepancy in these policies based on seniority; if this policy is under the control of the agency itself or if it is directed by the Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28945/26]
View answer151. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection if any review is ongoing in relation his Department’s policy on flexible working and remote working for civil servants in his Department, particularly in the context of increased fuel prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28963/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 149, 150 and 151 together.
My Department provides a range of flexible working arrangements for staff in line with Civil Service policy and subject to business need. These include flexible working time, shorter working year, work sharing and blended working.
Under the Department's Blended Working Policy, staff apply annually for blended working arrangements. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis having regard to the requirements of the role, the operational needs of the business area, the need to maintain effective management supervision, collaboration and high-quality service delivery to our customers. Currently, 67% of Departmental staff avail of blended working arrangements.
This approach supports the Department’s commitment to its core values of service, excellence, professionalism, agility and teamwork in a blended working environment. The 2026 policy provides for minimum attendance requirements in the workplace. In general, staff are expected to attend the office for a minimum of two days per week, while staff at Principal level and above are expected to attend a minimum of three days per week. These attendance expectations reflect the leadership, management and oversight responsibilities associated with senior roles.
Many roles, across all grades and business areas, require higher than these minimum levels of in-office attendance, up to and including full-time attendance, particularly where duties involve delivery of front line services in Intreo offices, other public facing roles, in person collaboration with colleagues, or access to systems and resources that cannot be facilitated remotely.
Bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are independent statutory organisations with their own Boards and senior management teams. Accordingly, responsibility for the development, implementation and operation of flexible working and remote or blended working policies for agency staff rests with the individual agency concerned. While these bodies have regard to Government human resource policies, public service frameworks and relevant employment legislation when developing their workplace policies, they are not required to apply the Department of Social Protection’s Blended Working Policy. Each agency determines its own policy arrangements in line with its specific operational, service delivery and organisational needs.
This Policy is kept under review to ensure that the Department's business is delivered and a high quality service continues to be provided to all our customers. It was most recently reviewed at the end of 2025 in advance of the opening of the application process for 2026. There is no ongoing review of the Department's blended working policy in the context of fuel price increases.
