Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
1409. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she and her Department expect to support and expand communication hubs at strategic locations throughout the country, with a view to addressing any deficiencies and the need to ensure maximum availability of state-of-the-art communications in increasingly competitive times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28573/23]
View answerA key focus of Our Rural Future, the Government's Rural Development Policy 2021 - 2025, is optimising digital connectivity to support vibrant, sustainable rural communities.
As stated in Our Rural Future, there is an overall ambition for Government to transform digital connectivity for rural communities and enterprises. I want to close the digital divide between rural and urban communities and ensure that those living in rural communities are provided with the same opportunities for remote working, online trading and for education as those in larger urban areas. I am working to achieve this ambition by providing significant funding and support through my Department.
Through the Broadband Connection Points (BCP) Initiative my department is establishing 300 digitally-enabled community hubs. These hubs are based in community centres, GAA clubs and tourist sites across the country in rural and isolated areas, including on some of our islands, and are centres of community life. These BCPs will each have different offerings, some with a focus on remote work while others focused on education programmes and digital skills training.
The Broadband Connection Points (BCP) project is progressing well, with 290 of 300 sites now live and in use.
In consultation with Public BCP stakeholders, my officials are drafting a development strategy for the Public BCP Network. This strategy will set out a number of ambitions and opportunities and will guide decisions on future supports, partnerships and the scope to improve and broaden services.
Our Rural Future also 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.
In furtherance of this commitment, my Department’s focus to date has been on strategically developing a national hub network, adding capacity to Ireland's existing remote working infrastructure and supporting the establishment of new hubs.
Over €150m has been invested by my department in the development of remote working facilities through programmes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and the Connected Hubs Call. Successful projects are developed in collaboration with local authorities and communities with many projects seeing vacant and derelict buildings in rural towns and villages converted into remote working hubs.
In 2021 I launched ConnectedHubs.ie, a shared online booking and payments platform for member hubs and their users. The network includes a diverse range of hubs, services and facilities, thus facilitating companies of different sizes. There are currently 319 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform.
To date my focus has been on establishing the Connected Hub Network and on achieving the initial critical mass. Following strong progress on the establishment phase of the project, my focus has now shifted to the next stage of development.
To this end my Department is currently leading, in consultation with hub managers, local authorities and communities, and with other stakeholders, including colleagues from the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, on the formulation of a National Hub Strategy which I will bring to Government later this year.
The Strategy will inform the future strategic direction of the National Hub Network and the connectedhubs.ie platform and ensure the strategic development and sustainability of Ireland’s Hub Infrastructure.
I have been clear throughout my tenure as Minister for Rural and Community Development 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 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.
