Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2022
24. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the method by which it is intended to decide the location of remote working hubs to be funded by her Department; the scheme under which they will be funded; the body communities should apply to in order to access this funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7975/22]
View answerOur Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated network of remote working hubs over the lifetime of the policy to 2025.
In May 2021 I launched the National Connected Hubs network together with the connectedhubs.ie platform. The platform offers a suite of booking and hub management applications to network members. The National Hub Network working group have identified and mapped over 450 remote working hubs - 189 of which are now live on the platform, with this number growing every week.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme both support the establishment of digital hubs. Under Last year's schemes, projects that bring vacant properties in town centres back into use as remote working hubs were eligible for funding. The repurposing of existing community or publicly owned buildings in town or village centres to facilitate remote working were also eligible application themes. The dataset drawn from the National Hubs Network will contribute to decisions pertaining to the location of remote working hubs that will be funded by my Department through such schemes.
The development of a national hubs network is a key commitment in Our Rural Future and I am committed to continuing my Department's support for the strategic development of remote working hubs in recognition of the vital role that they can play in our post-Covid recovery.
