An Independent Member of the Irish Dáil (Parliament) says Public Service work-from-home arrangements are not working as “nobody is answering phones when people ring seeking assistance”.
Michael McNamara (pictured) called on Minster for Education, Norma Foley to raise the issue in Cabinet, as he also highlighted concerns about the lack of access for some pupils to the school transport service.
“A number of parents only found out five days before the return of schools that their children were not entitled to a place on the school transport program — but when they found out they are unable to contact anybody,” Mr McNamara said.
“They are told to ring a certain number and when they ring it nobody answers. In the unlikely event that somebody does answer, they are transferred to somebody else,” he said.
Mr McNamara said working from home was not really working for people who rely on public services.
“It may be working for Civil Servants but it is not working for people who rely on their services and cannot get through to someone at the end of a telephone line,” he said.
“The problems with access to school buses are so great that parents are now car-pooling which means that children from different families are sharing cars by necessity.”
He said that was “hardly what the Department of Education desires to bring about in these times when all of these COVID-19 precautions are in place”.
Ms Foley said a review of bus routes was under way to meet the public health guidelines of 50 per cent capacity.
Dublin, 12 September 2020
