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ETW 98 Press Release

I am very pleased to announce today, that our Government has, at my request, approved the establishment of a National Advisory Council on Teleworking, with the following Terms of Reference:

"To advise the Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce; on the development of Teleworking Employment opportunities in Ireland and to recommend attainable actions, which will contribute to the realisation of those opportunities".

This is the very first step in the formulation of a National Teleworking Strategy. I am very pleased that Professor Tom Callanan, from the University of Limerick, has agreed to Chair the new Council. Professor Callanan has a wide range of experience, including that obtained by his Chairmanship of the Microelectronics Applications Centre (MAC), a Company based on the campus of the University of Limerick. He was Chief Executive of the National Technological Park at Limerick from 1989 to 1993 and is currently Director of the University of Limerick’s Technology Enterprise Development Unit, which is part of the Office of the Dean of Research.

Since my appointment to this position last year, I sought and was given responsibility for the development of Teleworking in Ireland. After consultation with various interested Parties, including Telework Ireland, a Representative Body for Teleworkers on this Island, I advised the Government that it was important to establish a National Advisory Council on Teleworking, which would examine the potential of Teleworking, throughout Ireland.

The Terms of Reference for the new Council are framed, specifically to enable the Council to look at all aspects of the Industry, together with a focus on reaching Agreement, about various Recommendations which would be realistic in terms of their prospects for subsequent implementation.

The Membership of the new Council includes Representatives of the Semi-State Sector, the Private Sector, the Universities, the relevant Professions and the Congress of Trade Unions. I have done my utmost to ensure that the Council represents all of the Parties, with a significant interest in this field and, accordingly, the Council is relatively large. I am also glad that our commitment to the interests of the Disabled, is reflected in the participation of a Representative of the Irish Wheelchair Association in the Council. I expect the new Council to submit a Report to me, for Government, within 12 months.

Teleworking has emerged as part of the evolution in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Continual improvements in Telecommunications, allied with the rapid expansion in Computer Technology opened up the possibility of separating out the Action of Work, from its usual Location, where such work involves Information Processing, or similar activity, that can be split off with benefit.

There are many good reasons for introducing  including the Creation of Jobs in remote Areas, making Services available to Customers outside normal office hours, taking advantage of a ready supply of Labour in a different Locality; and attracting or retaining People with scarce Skills.

It also cuts down on overhead costs by avoiding moving to larger premises.

The main driver for the uptake of Teleworking, in both the USA and the UK has been the many problems caused by commuting to City Centre Offices, including stress on Workers, Environmental Pollution and Energy and Property Costs.

Looking at the worsening traffic congestion in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Galway and in most of other Cities and Towns, it is well worth considering the promotion of Teleworking, as one of the solutions to this escalating and frustrating problem.

With this growing traffic congestion in our cities and provincial towns, home-based Teleworking Services also offer the potential for innovative Job bearing investments. The Telefutures Report published in 1996 and sponsored by Telecom Eireann and Forbairt, identified the following key benefits of Teleworking:

• Teleworkers use some of the hours, freed from commuting, for more Work - starting earlier and finishing later

• The reduced distractions in working from home, lead to productivity increases, exceeding 15% and sometimes as high as 40%; and

• Teleworkers are also more reliable, more loyal, likely to produce better quality work and likely to take less time off, with sick leave halved on average and are likely to stay longer with their Employers.

The educational, flexibility and skills level of Ireland's Work-force, represents the single, most important factor in the development of the Enterprise Sector and in achieving ambitious National Objectives for increases in Employment and Living Standards, together with reductions in Unemployment, throughout our Country.

Ireland has a leading edge Telecommunications infrastructure. Our very high Technology, Digital and Fiber-Optic based Telecommunications Network, provides an ideal environment for Teleworking.

We are determined that the roar of the Celtic Tiger will not be muted by a lack of opportunities, for our highly skilled and motivated Workforce.

Our success in attracting the World's leading High-Tech Companies - and we are seeing the evidence of this, with every passing week - is a product of all of these factors and has led to our present success in obtaining many excellent Projects, which are coming on stream, in the Teleservices area.

I want to quote from Bangermanns’ June 1994 Report to the Heads of State in Europe:

"the first countries to enter the information society will reap the greatest rewards ...... countries which temporise, or favour half-hearted solutions, could, in less than a decade, face disastrous declines in investment and a squeeze on jobs."

Ireland has heeded this message for years. Thanks to the work of successive Governments, we have had much greater public debate on the role of Science and Technology, in the modern Nation and how it can and should contribute to our Nation's future development.

The Technological Sector has been an engine of both Regional and National Economic Growth, over the last Three Decades.

Telework Developments, as there have been, have largely been based on Local Initiatives and the valuable work of Organisations, like Telework Ireland, an All-Ireland Group, which is represented on this new Council.

The concept of Teleworking is an exciting and far-reaching development. It has opened up the potential for valuable Job Creation, in many places, especially, in Rural Areas, particularly for those affected by involuntary Emigration.

In essence, it brings Work to the People, a reverse of what seemed for so long, an unstoppable trend - of bringing People to where the Work is.

Teleworking offers the potential of a Person, working in any part of Ireland, be it in an Urban or Rural Location, to supply Services, to anywhere in the World, using Ireland’s modern Telecommunications Infrastructure. There are many good reasons for introducing Teleworking, including the creation of Jobs, in remote Areas; making Services available to Customers outside normal office hours; and taking advantage of a ready supply of Labour, in a different Locality.

We want to capitalise on the growth and strength of the Celtic Tiger and ensure that it is shared out, into all of our Regions, both Rural and Urban. There is no reason, with the proper investment and technological transfer, that we cannot achieve this balanced Regional Development.

I want, as Minister for Science and Technology, to create an integrated Research, Technological and Development Innovation Strategy, that will provide economic opportunity in Rural Ireland, and help stem the tide of migration to large Urban Areas, sustain and develop our Rural Communities and maintain a living vibrant Community, in the Rural Regions of our Country.

Rural Ireland fights a constant battle to retain its Population. Lacking Industry, its People have traditionally migrated to Urban Ireland, in search of Employment.

As a result, Ireland's Countryside suffers from Population depletion, while our Cities continue to grow at an unsustainable rate. The arrival of Telecommunications offers the first significant opportunity, to redress this imbalance and to repopulate Rural Ireland. Teleworking, in particular, has the potential to bring Work, where the People want to do it, instead of constantly bringing People to where the Work is. I am confident, that today’s Initiative will create many new and varied opportunities for many People, across Ireland, in small Rural Hamlets and Towns and in Private Homes, in most of our larger Cities and Towns.

The Terms of Reference will enable the new Council to look at all aspects of the Industry, together with a focus on reaching agreement about Recommendations, which would be realistic in terms of prospects for subsequent implementation.

The formation of the Council is timely in view of the many changes to Work Practices, which are taking place at present, with many more predicted in the short to medium term.

It is not clear to me which, if any, of the three main Classes of Teleworkers-Telecommuters, or Self-Employed Teleworkers, or Mobile Teleworkers, is the more important at this juncture. However, the Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad, as to permit examination of all relevant groups and issues.

I have requested Professor Callanan to structure the work of the Council, in such a way as to ensure that Parties, who are not Members of the Council, will have an opportunity to submit their views to the new Council.

I wish to thank each of you, for accepting my invitation to be a Member of the new Council. I look forward to receiving your Report within a year from now.

This is a historic time, in the future development of Ireland, North and South. Let us collectively, grasp the opportunities presented in a young, confident, modern Ireland and together, we can share in the benefits of an ever changing, but well-fed Celtic Tiger, on the entire Island of Ireland.

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