Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The development of a rural proofing model is a key commitment in Our Rural Future. In conjunction with other Departments, the work on it is progressing well. We have identified the areas we want to focus on as part of a pilot, including sustainable tourism, which has a significant impact on rural economies. We have also launched the national outdoor recreational strategy, which will have major economic benefits. One need only consider the benefits of the Limerick greenway and the mountain biking trail in Kinnitty. The national planning framework is another major influence on balanced regional development, rural housing etc.

I launched Connected Hubs, through which there are 300 remote working hubs nationwide. We are working a great deal with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Agency, IDA, on promoting the hubs as landing spaces for multinationals. There is a great example of this in my area of Cavan - PublicRelay is a multinational that rented an entire floor in Cavan's digital hub and is employing 25 staff.

A great deal of work is going on in this space.

See this speech in context