Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 September 2022
332. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she continues to encourage the build-up of state-of-the-art technology hubs at convenient locations throughout the country to enable many enterprises have the benefits of an office setting without the necessity of travelling to more distant locations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45368/22]
View answerOur Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy, was published in March 2021. The policy recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by 2025.
Last year I launched the National Hub Network together with its online booking platform, connectedhubs.ie. It is a single network that provides users with information on the location of, and facilities available at, remote working hubs throughout Ireland. The network includes a diverse range of hubs, services and facilities thus facilitating companies of different sizes.
There are currently 281 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the connectedhubs.ie platform. This number is growing all the time meaning we are well on track to meet our target of 400 remote working hubs nationwide by 2025. The attached table provides a breakdown of connectedhubs.ie facilities by county.
On 8 June, I announced the 81 projects that were successful in securing funding from the 2022 Connected Hubs Call, allocating €5 million to add additional capacity to existing remote working hubs and Broadband Connection Points throughout the country. This follows the award of almost €9 million in funding allocated via the 2021 Connected Hubs Call.
To date my department has invested over €100M to support the establishment, improvement and sustainability of hubs. For example, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme both support the establishment of digital hubs. The dataset drawn from the National Hubs Network will contribute to future decisions pertaining to the location and model of remote working hubs that will be funded by my Department through such schemes.
To date my focus has been on establishing the network and on achieving this initial critical mass. Following strong progress on the establishment phase of the project, my focus has now shifted to the next stage of development.
I have always been clear that balanced regional development, sustainable and thriving communities, and indeed the wider national economy will all benefit from workers and employers embracing the remote working revolution.
I am pleased to say that the connectedhubs.ie team have for some time been developing a corporate service to engage with and support corporate clients interested in using our nationwide network to accommodate their employees, but also to gain access to the vast pool of talent that Ireland has to offer, whether those talented people live in our cities, towns, villages or rural parishes. I believe that this work represents significant opportunities for employers of all sizes to leverage the National Hub Network directly.
I am committed to ensuring that the National Hub Network will continue to make a central contribution to the achievement of the Government's vision for rural Ireland, as set out in Our Rural Future.
TABLE 1 – Connectedhubs.ie - Remote Working Hubs by County (as of the 12th of September 2022)
|
- |
Live on the connectedhubs.ie platform |
Mapped to be invited to join the connectedhubs.ie platform |
|
Carlow |
5 |
8 |
|
Cavan |
7 |
7 |
|
Clare |
9 |
14 |
|
Cork |
27 |
19 |
|
Donegal |
15 |
18 |
|
Dublin |
47 |
33 |
|
Galway |
21 |
32 |
|
Kerry |
19 |
9 |
|
Kildare |
8 |
6 |
|
Kilkenny |
3 |
7 |
|
Laois |
4 |
7 |
|
Leitrim |
8 |
18 |
|
Limerick |
13 |
12 |
|
Longford |
4 |
6 |
|
Louth |
8 |
10 |
|
Mayo |
22 |
17 |
|
Meath |
3 |
20 |
|
Monaghan |
6 |
10 |
|
Offaly |
5 |
12 |
|
Roscommon |
7 |
15 |
|
Sligo |
4 |
9 |
|
Tipperary |
10 |
20 |
|
Waterford |
8 |
10 |
|
Westmeath |
3 |
9 |
|
Wexford |
7 |
9 |
|
Wicklow |
8 |
2 |
|
Total |
281 |
339 |
