Flexible Work and Commuter Delays: Motion [Private Members] Dail Éireann — 2026-01-21 ============================================================ Niamh Smyth (FF), Cavan-Monaghan I thank the Labour Party and colleagues on all sides of the House who made really important contributions. It has been a very fair and balanced debate on the pros and cons, as there always are with these matters, of the proposals before the House. As set out by the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, in moving the amendment to the motion, the Government is committed to delivering sustainable transport projects and facilitating remote work in a way that maximises the economic, social and environmental benefits. As outlined earlier, the Government has provided a right to request, which supports and facilitates remote working at the same time as supporting a productive and competitive business environment. There has been significant uptake of remote work since the Covid-19 pandemic, with recent data from the Central Statistics Office showing that in the third quarter of last year, almost 1 million people reported working from home at least some of the time. The programme for Government reaffirms the commitment to promoting flexible working arrangements that benefit both workers and employers. The Government is fulfilling this commitment by ensuring the remote working legislation is fit for purpose. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is currently undertaking a statutory review of the operation of the remote working provisions of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. Deputy O'Gorman asked when that might be published. We will try to get a concrete timeline for that. The purpose of the review is to assess the effectiveness of the legislation, as well as evaluating its clarity and identifying any unintended consequences. I understand that there has been significant engagement with stakeholders, with the Department receiving over 8,000 responses to the public consultation. The final report of the statutory review will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. Work is also being undertaken across Government to inform and support the remote working policy, including the development of a national hub strategy, the working in Ireland survey and other research. The other aspects of the Deputies’ motion are traffic congestion and commuter delays. I smiled when I heard Deputy Murphy say that this only affected Dublin. I have just driven from Bailieborough in County Cavan along the N3, which is a two and a half hour drive. I have always advocated for that area. The issue of remote working in the commuter belt stretches way beyond Wicklow, Kildare and places like that. In County Cavan, along the N3, you will see a pile-up of cars on the hard shoulder, where people are commuting. Obviously, they perhaps now have the flexibility to work from home. In response to Deputy Dolan's point, it has benefited rural communities in particular. We see that in the footfall in coffee shops, pharmacies and all of the little shops in small towns like Bailieborough, Cootehill, Shercock and Virginia. They have all benefited from that. It does not mean that people cannot live in the more remote parts of the country and have a job in Dublin, like myself. As noted in the earlier remarks of the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, the Government is investing record levels of public funds into public transport infrastructure. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge, as a rural Minister of State, what Local Link has meant for rural constituencies like my own. I never thought I would see a day when there were public transport buses travelling every day on certain roads. It is incredible, and it has to be acknowledged. I want to take a bit of latitude to acknowledge that. Over the lifetime of this Government, we will see the shovels in the ground on MetroLink, DART+, Luas Finglas and the western rail corridor. We will also see the completion and progression of core bus corridors in Dublin as part of the BusConnects Dublin programme, and the progression of the Cork area commuter rail. Deputy O’Flynn also raised matters concerning Cork today. These projects, along with others provided for in the NDP review sectoral investment plan for transport, will help to provide a high-quality, connected public transport system for all passengers and help to alleviate congestion. Regarding services, an unprecedented funding allocation of €940 million for PSO services was secured in budget 2026, a significant 43% uplift in the allocation from budget 2025. This allocation will allow for the continued delivery of targeted fare initiatives, including the recently introduced free travel for all children up to the age of nine, and the young adult card for those aged 19 to 25, as part of the NTA’s national fares strategy. It also prioritises the advancement of ongoing programmes and commitments in line with operational readiness and resource availability. These measures allow for the continued growth in PSO journeys. The number of journeys has continued to grow steadily and demonstrates how the public are taking positive steps in making the switch to using public transport. I would have to concur with Deputy Whitmore's comments. She is from County Wicklow and I am from County Cavan. I see it myself, in that people are using buses more and the demand is there. The problem now is having enough buses on the routes to accommodate the number of people using them. We saw an all-time high of more than 343 million journeys undertaken across the PSO network in 2024, which was a record-breaking increase of 32 million compared to 2023 figures. Although the data for 2025 is currently being finalised, we are again anticipating a significant uplift on 2024 passenger numbers. This is evidenced by recent figures published by Dublin Bus, reporting 164 million passenger journeys in 2025. The most recent BusConnects progress report was published in December 2025, covering phases 5A, 5B and 6A in Dublin. It shows that eight out of ten users are satisfied with the service, and 45% believe the bus service in their area has improved. We remain fully committed to building on these positive changes and delivering a public transport system that is responsive to passenger needs. Already, we can see the impact that the increased funding under the public transport retrofit programme is having, in line with the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. As Members know, having reliable and safe lifts at train stations is vital for anyone with mobility difficulties. For example, accessibility and safety at Clongriffin DART station have improved. We will continue to make bus and train stations nationwide more accessible, increase the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis and reduce the period of advance notice for disabled people using public transport. I assure the Deputies that the Government recognises that transport connectivity is hugely important for people who live and work in rural Ireland. This is evidenced by the launch last year of Ireland’s first-ever smart demand responsive transport pilots in Achill, Killarney and the north-east of Limerick city. Using the TFI Anseo app, passengers are now able to book on-demand rides with ease, bringing the convenience of modern ride-share together with the reliability and affordability of public transport. This pilot is funded under the Government’s Climate Action Fund, which supports innovative transport solutions that contribute to a greener, more connected Ireland. The roll-out of the current phase of the towns bus programme began with the launch of the Carlow town bus service in 2023. It was followed by the Clonmel town bus service later that year and the Portlaoise town bus service in February 2025. Mobilisation has commenced for the Mullingar town service, with a target launch in quarter 1 of 2026. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, has already touched on the investment being made in walking and cycling infrastructure to encourage commuters to walk and cycle, where possible, and I accept it is not always possible in rural parts. The Government recognises, however, that the investment will only be worthwhile if the infrastructure is safe to use. Vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, need to be safe when utilising our walking and cycling networks to get to and from work and school. In conclusion, I thank the Deputies for raising these issues and initiating the discussion. However, for all of the reasons I have outlined, the Government is opposing the motion. The Government has high ambitions for our public transport and active travel network and is allocating funding to make them a reality. --- 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