Flexible Work and Commuter Delays: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-21
============================================================

Albert Dolan (FF), Galway East

I will focus on the fact that remote working disproportionately benefits rural communities. The trend I have noticed over the past few years in the area I represent, Galway East, is that the more remote working that is happening, the more people there are working in fantastic jobs in Galway city, Athlone, Mayo and Dublin. It has allowed those people to come closer to home. They are able to make a decision to build a home close to where they are from and not have to buy in Dublin or Galway city in order to have a short commute. They can manage the longer commute much better for the two or three days they go into the office and can be more effective with their time.
When we reflect on life in Ireland in the past few years, it is very clear that one of the single biggest improvements to quality of life has been remote working and how our mindset around work has changed as well. I will support the Government amendment to the motion and I am really excited to see what its proposals will mean for the future of remote working. The Government has done a significant amount in terms of investment and introducing tax allowances to enable people to claim expenses that may arise from working from home. It is really important to acknowledge the work that has been done and to work with the bodies that want to see improvements in remote working. Across Europe right now, companies are looking for remote workers. They are looking for people who are able to contribute in a digital world that is accelerating at an ever greater rate. It is vital to ensure our workforce is educated, equipped and ready to contribute as best as possible.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-31T01:00:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-21