Cross border workers issues raised by Louth TD

The issue of cross border workers and the need for a whole of government approach to tackle the issues they are facing has been raised in Leinster House by Dundalk TD Ruairí Ó Murchú who highlighted the problems to both Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys last week.

During an oral question to Minister Humphreys, the Sinn Féin TD asked:

“Will the Minister outline the engagement her Department has had with other Government agencies and Departments on the problems being faced by workers who live in the North but work in companies based in the South and who may wish to work from home or engage in remote working?

“The example I use is PayPal, which closed its premises.
“Its employees who live in the North had to be transferred to PayPal UK although they had availed of benefits in the South and all the rest of it.”

Minister Humphreys said her Department co-operates with the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland on the Cross Border Partnership Employment Services, CBPES, which provides information to workers and jobseekers on both sides of the Border.

She said: “As policy responsibility for the wider issues referred to by the Deputy are not within the remit of my Department, this matter is not being considered by it for budget 2024.”

Responding, Deputy Ó Murchú said:

“In fairness to the Minister, she is not the only member of the Government I have put this question to.

“I raised it with the Taoiseach earlier this week, and not for the first time.

“This issue needs to be taken to Cabinet level and addressed.

“I accept it is beyond the Minister's remit but there is a need for HMRC and Revenue to have fully-fledged conversations on providing a solution.

“I used the PayPal example because those employees had no choice.

“They had to be moved. I ask the Minister and other Cabinet members to come up with some sort of proposal on this.

“It will need some sort of an agreement with the British Government.

“That may be more possible now than it was previously. I would like it to be dealt with at Cabinet level.”

Minister Humphreys said a new EU voluntary framework agreement for teleworking has been drafted, which EU member states can voluntarily sign up to, allows teleworking rates to increase from 25% to 50% without having to change where a person's social security contributions are paid.

She said:

“The UK has indicated that it is not going to sign this agreement and so it will not apply to those working along the Border.

“My officials are consulting with other Departments on whether Ireland should sign up. However, even if Ireland does, it will not apply where the other state is a non-signatory.”

Deputy Ó Murchú said: “At a governmental level, there has to be an intervention and an interaction with the British Government.

“It is a very small island so we should be able to facilitate it.”