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

I do not have all of the figures to hand, but there has been unprecedented investment in the north and west. Like the Deputy, I am familiar with the region, given that we both live there.

We have worked with Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. For example, there is a good remote working hub called the Spool Factory in Boyle, County Roscommon. I have spoken to its management a few times. People who are coming home to Ireland on holidays are able to stay for much longer because they can use its remote working facilities. We need to wrap initiatives like this up as part of our offering to get more people back into rural Ireland. It has been successful in Boyle, and I would like to see it replicated in other areas.

There has been a great deal of investment. I want to see that continue. This year, there is a strong budget line for all of the programmes. I hope to open the calls for them in the next few months.

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