Galway East constituents invited to have their say to shape future of remote working in online event

Fine Gael wants to hear the views of people in Galway East on remote working in an online event attended by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris and Ciaran Cannon, TD.

Galway East Deputy Ciaran Cannon and Minister Harris are encouraging constituents to register online and take part in a discussion on remote working, which takes place on Tuesday 18^th May at 8pm.

This is the ninth meeting in a series of online events taking place under the brand “Shape Your Future” which is being organised by Fine Gael.

The party would like to hear the views of members of the public on a range of issues and encourage engagement between them and their local representatives.

Speaking ahead of the event, Minister Harris said: “I am delighted to participate in this Shape Your Future event with my colleague, Ciaran Cannon, TD, to listen to the views of people in Galway East on remote working which for many of us is now reality.

“Fine Gael has been prioritising the move to remote working in recent years as it has the potential to offer greater flexible working opportunities as well as creating new jobs and opportunities in our rural towns and villages.”

“If done well, Remote Working can help people reduce their time commuting, can cut down on unnecessary journeys and hopefully help create a better quality of life for workers and their families.”

Deputy Cannon added: “With so many of us being required to work from home during the pandemic, we perhaps got a glimpse of the future, a better future I would argue, and one where our rural East Galway towns and villages can really thrive.

“Right now there are 55,000 remote working jobs available in Ireland and with the ongoing rollout of our National Broadband Plan, soon every jobseeker in every home will have access to these new employment opportunities.”

“That’s what we want to discuss next Tuesday, how we can ensure that people are aware of these opportunities and how they can avail of them. Removing the need for long work commutes and giving people the chance at a fulfilling career while remaining in their local community is the sustainable and healthy way to develop rural Ireland, it’s an opportunity we cannot miss.”

People can take part in the event by registering on Fine Gael’s dedicated website at https://www.finegael.ie/shapeyourfuture/galwayeast/