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Digital Hubs

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022

Tuesday, 26 April 2022

Questions (1960)

Dara Calleary

Question:

1960. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding streams and the application process for a community organisation to construct and host a work hub in a rural area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20573/22]

View answer

Written answers

Our 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 recognition of this, my Department continues to invest heavily in the establishment and strategic development of remote work hub facilities through various funding streams and initiatives, including via the development of Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) as long-term, digitally-enabled community assets. 

To date my Department has invested some €100m in the development of remote working facilities across a range of schemes.  For example, 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.  Similarly, funding for such projects is also available under the LEADER programme, where projects are approved via the Local Action Groups in each area in line with locally identified needs.

In December 2021, a call for applications under the RRDF was announced. The closing date for submissions is the 29th of April 2022.  The lead party in an application must be a State funded body however a community organisation may partner in an application. A RRDF application pack is available on my Departments website.

In February of this year I announced almost €18.5m for projects under the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme.  This included support for 28 projects related to remote working and hubs.  Details of the 2022 Town and Village Renewal scheme will be announced shortly.  As in previous years, local authorities will be notified when the 2022 scheme is launched. They will then seek expressions of interest from rural communities for projects that meet the 2022 scheme criteria. Suitable projects will be developed into funding applications and then submitted to the Department for consideration.

In addition to these funding streams, I have also made available significant funding for hubs to develop their capacity and facilities. Last May, 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 members of the Network. There are currently 229 hubs live on the platform, with this number increasing on an ongoing basis.  Details for the onboarded hub facilities can be obtained via the Connected hubs platform - www.connectedhubs.ie.

Last July, I also allocated almost €9 million through the 2021 Connected Hubs Fund, which supported over 100 hubs and BCPs, enabling applicants to develop and leverage the capacity and quality of existing remote working facilities across the country. In February this year, I launched the 2022 Connected Hubs Call, allocating a further €5 million in funding to add additional capacity to the existing remote working infrastructure in remote working hubs and Broadband Connection Points throughout the country. The closing date for this round of funding was 4 April. My officials are currently evaluating the applications submitted and I expect to announce the successful applicants in the coming weeks.

To support the ongoing strategic development of the National Hub Network, 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 under future iterations of the various available funding 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 ongoing strategic development of a comprehensive and integrated network of remote working hubs in recognition of the vital role that they can play in our post-Covid recovery.

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