George Lawlor proposes Right to Remote Work Bill to cut commuting
George Lawlor moved the Work-Life Balance Right to Remote Work Bill 2026 and argued that the current system only allows workers to request remote working while employers can refuse. He said the bill would enshrine remote working with safeguards where remote arrangements are not reasonably practical.
Bill brought to the House
George Lawlor formally introduced the Work-Life Balance Right to Remote Work Bill 2026 to the House, framing it as legislation to make remote working a recognised right rather than a mere request. He said the measure is intended to address widespread commuting pressure and deliver a better work-life balance for workers.
Reasons cited for change
Lawlor described long daily commutes and worsening traffic congestion - including severe gridlock on the M7 - as "stolen hours" from workers, families and communities. He referenced reduced availability and quality of public transport, an example of the Department of Enterprise asking staff in East Wall in Dublin to increase days in the office, and a flood at Kilmer Canoog that turned a usual 1 hour 45 minute trip from Wexford Town to Leinster House into a four-and-a-half-hour journey.
Employer safeguards in the bill
The bill includes specific grounds on which an employer may refuse a remote working request - for example where the nature of the work cannot be done remotely, where it is not reasonably practical to reorganise tasks among staff, where remote work would adversely affect product or service quality, or where the proposed workspace is unsuitable. Lawlor emphasised these provisions as safeguards for both employees and employers.
Benefits highlighted and groups affected
Lawlor pointed to the COVID period as evidence of remote working benefits - increased productivity, stronger family life and greater workforce inclusion for people with disabilities and lone parents. He argued that normalising remote working through legislation would benefit employees and employers alike by improving productivity and reducing time lost to commuting.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
I rise today to move the Work-Life Balance Right to Remote Work Bill 2026. You may recall a couple of weeks ago my colleague Mark Wall proposed a motion in this House regarding flexibility and flexible work. And the irony of everything was that Deputy Wall left at High County Kildare at 6.30 in the morning and was late to propose the motion in this House when he arrived at 5.10. Such was the level of gridlock and such was the level of traffic congestion on the M7. And it's a campaign that Deputy Wall has carried on for many, many months. As it stands, workers only have the right to request remote working, but an employer can very easily refuse. There are many, many stolen hours from workers who effectively sit in traffic in many instances for hours on end and it's only getting worse. They rely on public transport that is reducing in availability and quality on a regular basis. As I was told today of the Department of Enterprise asking its workforce to return to work, some from three days to four days, others from four days to five days, in East Wall in Dublin. And it's horrendous trying to get to work in East Wall, such is the level of traffic and congestion. So these workers are expected to give up hours that they could be spending with their family, give up hours that they could be given to their communities, and give up hours effectively to start work by sitting in a car for many, many hours of the year, week in, week out. We saw during COVID the benefits of remote working, when it was forced upon its all. We saw the benefits in terms of productivity, we saw the benefits to families, we saw the benefit to allowing people who may not be able to enter the workforce because of restrictions, to enter the workforce, such as people with disabilities or indeed lone parents. There are also in this bill clauses to facilitate employers where it is not deemed suitable that remote working is possible. For instance, an employer may refuse a request under subsection 1 if the arrangement requested is not reasonably practical, such as the nature of the employee's work does not permit that it be done at a remote location, or it is not reasonably practical for the employer to reorganise the work done by his or her employees amongst them, so to facilitate the proposed arrangement. Or that the proposed arrangement is reasonably likely to adversely affect the quality of the employer's product or service, or the quality of the work of the employee, or the workspace at the proposed location is not a suitable workspace for the employees to work in. So, this bill has many safeguards in terms of both the employee and the employer. It is not just about facilitating blindly an employee who wishes to work remotely. It is about creating a better work-life balance and a better atmosphere for employees to become more productive, not to sit in traffic, not to depend on public service transport that is reduced in quality and efficiency. In many areas across the country, it also facilitates people who simply can't afford to live in areas or reside in areas or rent in areas, such as Dublin, and many people from my own county of Wexford travel to Dublin on a daily basis and have to deal with the gridlock. Last week, with the floods, a relatively small flood in Kilmer Canoog meant it took me four and a half hours to get from Wexford Town to Leinster House, a journey that usually takes about one hour and 45 minutes. Remote working and the ability to work remotely would have a tremendously positive impact on that. And to facilitate and make it an ordinary thing to do, to work remotely, I think is something that we must enshrine in legislation. And bringing this bill before the House, I'm conscious that there are many employees around the country who will benefit from it. And I believe there are many employers who will benefit from it as a result of having workers who are content to work and improve their productivity from their home or their hot desk or their office space in the location where they reside. Thank you, Deputy.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
