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Home work rights planned for employees

Sales and marketing, HR and accountancy personnel could be given a legal right to seek to work from home in the future under Government plans. leovaradkar0520

The Government says it will legislate to provide employees with the right to request their employer allow them work remotely.

It will also introduce a new legally admissible code of practice on the right to disconnect from work – covering phone calls, emails and switch-off time.

The Government has also proposed that working from home should be the norm for up to 20 per cent of staff in the public service, but accepts this is an average figure and could pose challenges in frontline areas such as health.

The measures form part of a new strategy on remote working to be published by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar.

As part of the new initiative, the Government is also to explore the acceleration of the national broadband plan to facilitate more people to work remotely as well as investing in more remote working hubs that are close to childcare facilities. There is also a plan to review the treatment of remote working for the purposes of tax and expenditure in the next budget.

Mr Varadkar said that “post-pandemic, I want remote working to be part of a whole new world of work, and this new Government strategy sets out how we will enable it”.

Travelling Burger Shoppers fined

Three people who travelled from Co Meath to south Dublin for takeaway burgers are among 29 people who have been fined €100 each for breaching Covid-19 restrictions sinc gardai e the introduction of new enforcement measures on Monday.

Gardaí say the fixed payment notices were issued to people who had travelled more than 5km from their homes without a reasonable excuse.

Current Level 5 health regulations only allow for people to exercise within 5km of their home.

Three people from Co Meath were fined after they were stopped in Ringsend in Dublin where they said they had travelled 80km for a burger.

Tax bills for Hospitality workers

Up to 100,000 hospitality sector employees will be among around 420,000 tax payers who will be issued tax bills today as a result of payments they received under the two main Revenue Commissioners

Covid subsidy schemes last year.

An estimated 71% of those in receipt of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and 33% of those on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment underpaid tax - and will receive a bill.

Data released by Revenue yesterday shows that 80% of taxpayers' statements are balanced, overpaid or underpaid by less than €200, while 706,000 taxpayers are due a refund.

In total, over 600,000 people underpaid income tax or universal social charge in 2020.

This is partly due to the fact that the TWSS and PUP payments were not taxed at source.

The amount outstanding is €458 million.

North critical of data sharing

Northern Ireland politicians have criticised the Irish Government for failing to share information on travellers arriving on the island during the pandemic. arlenefoster0620

First Minister Arlene Foster said repeated attempts by the Executive to access data on passenger locator forms filled out by people arriving into the Republic had proved unsuccessful.

Her comments came after the Stormont Executive agreed new restrictions on international travel into the North that will require arriving passengers to produce a negative Covid-19 test undertaken within 72 hours of departure for the region.

Decisions to introduce similar measures have already been taken in the Republic as well as in England and Scotland.

Kilkenny plans Spring welcome

Kilkenny Tourism is leading the way to re-open tourism this Spring. The tourism organisation for the county is planning to highlight the range of outdoor attractions and activities. Kilkenny0819

After a year beset with hospitality closures, Kilkenny Tourism is looking forward to a level of continuity in the sector and an opportunity to meet with visitors’ new expectations for outdoor, wellness and activity-based holidays and breaks.

Commenting on the planned re-opening of tourism in the county, Chairperson of Kilkenny Tourism, Ciaran Conroy said; “It has been an unprecedented year for the hospitality sector and at every corner our hotels, attractions and restaurants were met with challenges and closures. The pandemic has brought about a change to visitors’ expectations and motivations for travelling and this year, Kilkenny is preparing to meet those changes in attitudes by offering a full ‘outdoor-focussed’ experience to all our visitors in 2021.