Tipperary TD says remote work bill is key to revitalising towns following housing update

Alan Kelly has said that stronger rights to remote and blended working are essential to revitalising regional towns, telling Dáil Éireann that new housing developments in Nenagh highlight the urgent need for legislative action.

Speaking during debate on February 18, the Labour TD said that more than 600 homes are now set to be built in Nenagh, with 307 newly announced on top of over 300 previously unveiled.

However, he stressed that housing growth in regional towns must be matched by policies that allow people to work flexibly.
“Many of the people who are going into these homes are local people or people who desire to live there but who want to work from home or partially work from home through blended working,” Mr Kelly said.

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Describing Nenagh as centrally located and within reach of Dublin, Shannon, Limerick and Galway, Mr. Kelly noted that while commuting one or two days a week may be feasible, a five-day commute is not.
His proposed legislation, he argued, would give workers the option to live in their own communities without facing long daily journeys.

“This Bill ensures those workers will have the opportunity to live among their community, to access childcare and schools, and to live among their families,” he said.

He warned that without stronger remote working rights, regional housing growth alone would not deliver balanced development.

Framing the legislation as a work-life balance measure, the Labour TD said long commutes can cost workers between three and six hours a day time that could instead be spent with family, participating in community life, or supporting elderly parents.
“We work to live but we do not live to work,” he told the House.

Mr Kelly also linked remote work to national productivity, arguing that workers are more effective when their lives are balanced.

“We talk a lot about workers and productivity but workers are far more productive when there is balance in their lives,” he said, adding that politicians themselves should understand the pressures of weekly travel.

The Bill, he said, would promote better spatial and regional planning by enabling people to live and work in towns such as Nenagh, Roscrea and Thurles, rather than being concentrated in major urban centres.

He positioned the proposal as central to the identity of the Labour Party, describing it as “the party of workers” and arguing that workers should come first in Government policy.

As debate continues, Mr Kelly maintained that remote and blended working are no longer optional extras but necessary tools for ensuring balanced regional growth and sustainable communities across Ireland.