Work Life Balance (Right to Remote Work) Bill 2026: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-18
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Mark Wall (LAB), Kildare South

In many of these countries, these issues are dealt with through sectoral agreements and bargaining, which are, unfortunately, so absent in this country. The Minister goes on to say that over 8,000 people have taken part in the Government consultation. Does he think that this unprecedented response is a clap on the back for the Government policy? I assure him that this response, given the thousands that have contacted my party, is far from a clap on the back but rather a cry for help from a Government that simply is continuing to ignore workers in this country.
The Minister mentioned CSO figures this morning. I ask to stand, maybe for a couple of hours on the M7-N7 and the M4-N4. Then he will get the figures that he needs to influence any debate on this legislation in this House.
The Government should lead by example, yet a large percentage of the thousands of calls that we have received are from Government employees who for some reason, after years of remote work, are being called back to the office. Why is this the case? Is it to justify filling office space that a departmental concern was raised two months ago? State bodies are forcing workers back into the office. That is a fact.
I have spoken recently with Grow Remote and as have colleagues in the House. I have listened to their experiences and the potential that this sector represents for this country. They have a very detailed training programme that could allay many of the fears that employers, and, indeed, the Members who have spoken on this Bill have raised. The Government should embrace that training and encourage it and work more closely with Grow Remote.
Finally, I assure the thousands of workers who are leaving their rural communities, villages and towns to spend hours in traffic that the Labour Party is listening to them. It would seem today, from the entire Opposition, that it is also listening in to this debate and supporting those thousands of workers. It is a pity that Government has chosen to close its ears, once again, and is saying that there is nothing to see here. It is becoming the norm for Government. Maybe it is time for another pause and for Government to turn up its hearing aid.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-18