Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021
1262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which the concept of working from home or through digital hubs is being progressed with a view to ensuring the optimum results for employer, employee and the taxpayer; if there are further plans in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52838/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraOur Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and also the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages.
In May I launched the National Connected Hubs network together with the connectedhubs.ie platform. This platform will offer a suite of booking, hub management and e-commerce applications to members of the Network. The Network will also facilitate the sharing of innovation, experience and best practices across the community. These supports will serve to maximise benefit to member hubs, hub clients, employers, local communities and the wider economy.
The National Hub Network Working Group led by my Department has so far identified and mapped over 425 remote working hubs across the country. These hubs are invited to join the Connected Hubs Network to create shared infrastructure that will deliver real benefits across the country. To date, approximately 150 hubs have joined the Connected Hubs Network, with this number rising on an ongoing basis.
Membership of the Connected Hubs Network is open to all existing and new hubs who wish to offer remote working services. A significant number of initiatives will be developed through the Network including: supporting collective engagement between Connected Hubs and large scale employers; supporting collective engagement between Connected Hubs and Government agencies; supporting collaborative projects in the Network to drive economies of scale; developing a dataset to inform future investment decisions in remote working facilities and helping to identify the benefits Connected Hubs deliver for their local communities and the wider economy. A Connected hubs app and marketing campaign is currently in the final stages of development and will be launched in the coming weeks.
In July this year, through the Connected Hubs funding stream, I awarded close to €9 million in funding to over 100 successful applicants. This funding supports the addition of capacity to existing remote working infrastructure in digital hubs and broadband connection points throughout the country. My Department also continues to invest extensively in remote working and hub developments via the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Rural Regeneration Development Fund.
In addition to this, in January the Government published a National remote working strategy - ‘Making Remote Work’. The objective of this Strategy is to ensure remote work is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace in a way that maximises economic, social and environmental benefits. The National Remote Work Strategy is built on three pillars - these pillars are:
1. Create a Conducive Environment
2. Develop and Leverage Remote Work Infrastructure
3. Build a Remote Work Policy and Guidance Framework
Through its work on the development of the National hub network, my department is leading on three of the five actions within pillar two (to develop and leverage a remote work infrastructure).
Furthermore in Budget 2022, the Minister for Finance announced an income tax deduction amounting to 30% of the cost of vouched expenses for heat, electricity and broadband incurred by employees while working remotely.
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 development of remote working hubs in recognition of the vital role that they can play in our post-Covid recovery.
