77. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department intends to review legislation on flexible working arrangements in the context of the current fuel crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30948/26]

The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 complements existing family leaves by providing additional flexibility to ensure that parents and carers are supported in balancing their work and family lives.

The Act introduced important entitlements for workers, including five days leave for medical care purposes and an extension to the entitlement to breastfeeding breaks. It also introduced the right to request remote working for all employees and the right to request flexible working for parents and carers in line with Article 9 of the Work Life Balance Directive [EU 2019/1158].

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 and people facing long commutes in the context of high fuel costs. Employers benefit from access to a larger talent pool, with remote and hybrid options representing powerful levers for staff recruitment and retention, which improves economic performance and labour market access overall.

The Government is also prioritising further work-life balance measures through new National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030, which was published on the 18th of November 2025, and includes a number of objectives to empower women in decision making and leadership roles, support women in and returning to the workforce and bring a much needed focus on sharing unpaid caring responsibilities more equally between women and men.

The first Action Plan under the new Strategy is currently being finalised and will include actions to support working families in balancing the competing demands of family and work. The Strategy also supports flexible working options and one’s right to avail of these so that both women and men are afforded greater choice in terms of how they manage the interaction between their caring and work responsibilities.

Under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, there is a provision for a review of the Right to Request Flexible Working provisions. This review is currently being scoped and is due to be undertaken in the coming months. It will also include further research into what additional flexibilities could be introduced.

The right to request a remote working arrangements for all employees is accompanied by a Workplace Relations Commission Code of Practice which provides practical guidance for employers and employees on how to comply with the legislation.

As required by the legislation, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment recently concluded a review of the operation of the right to request remote working legislation. The review found that the legislation is highly effective in practice when used, with almost all (94%) of those using their right to request remote work being approved either fully (61%) or partially (33%).

However, the report highlights that public awareness of the legislative right remains low, with fewer than half of employees aware of their right to request remote work. As a result, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment will launch a targeted national information campaign to raise awareness of the right to request remote working.

Both the National Remote Work Strategy and Our Rural Future, the Government's rural development policy, recognise the opportunity for more balanced regional development and the rejuvenation of communities across Ireland that remote and flexible 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 evidence suggests that these policies are working, and it is worth highlighting the contribution of remote and flexible working in achieving Ireland’s record levels of employment and female labour force participation.

Ensuring that the legislation underpinning remote and flexible work is effective is key to ensuring that their benefits are fully realised.