I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 11 and 12 together.
On 15th January last I published Ireland’s first National Remote Work Strategy to make remote working a permanent option for life after the pandemic. A key action within the National Remote Working Strategy is to extend the mapping and classifications of hubs - as completed by Western Development Commission on the Atlantic Economic Corridor - across the country to develop national data on hub infrastructure.
To date, my Department has funded seven schemes administered by Enterprise Ireland and approved €255 million to support the establishment of approximately 270 enterprise centres throughout Ireland. The rationale for this funding is to:
- Provide physical space for entrepreneurs, start-ups, scaling companies, SMEs and a balance of small scale FDI; and
- Deliver capability and capacity building supports through the delivery of enterprise relevant programmes.
Aligned to the above rationale, since 2017, Enterprise Ireland has administered funding to 91 projects totalling €16,434,595 under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund and the Community Enterprise Centres Schemes. An emerging feature of projects funded under these schemes is the provision of physical space to support remote working. The table below details funding by scheme per year.
|
2017
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
No. of Projects Paid
|
30
|
40
|
34
|
34
|
Payment Total
|
€1,699,993
|
€1,478,721
|
€6,175,305
|
€7,080,577
|