Maura Hopkins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Apologies, I was a bit late. I had another meeting. I got a lot from the questions and answers section.

I will speak about my own experience in Roscommon-Galway. I attended the launch of a digital hub attached to the library in Ballinasloe at the end of January. Obviously, it is a positive development. Ballinasloe Area Community Development, BACD, is proactive in encouraging the exacting goals that Ms Keogh and Mr. Ellingstad were talking about with regard to trying to work with companies to ensure that a number of employees could benefit from working in this space. We all know the challenges of travelling to Galway city, Dublin or wherever on a daily basis. Galway County Council is supportive of this initiative as well. The Minister of State will be aware that Mr. Michael Burke, CEO of the Chanelle Group, attended the launch and was involved in its promotion. It has been there for the best part of a year and a half. They had their first client at the end of 2018 for a number of weeks. There is considerable potential but we are not harnessing it enough. We talk a lot about the infrastructure that is needed but the infrastructure is there. This is a space which could work for many people. I will also give the example of our fabulous new Áras an Chontae building in Roscommon town. Similarly, there is a digital hub attached to that. There is much more potential than is being currently utilised to support people to live in rural areas to enjoy the quality of life that we all promote and enjoy.

My point to the Minister of State and to the other individuals on the panel today is we should be doing more to ensure the fabulous hub over the library in Ballinasloe and the digital hub in Roscommon town are utilised to their maximum potential and we are not doing that currently. I suppose all of us want to be proactive. We want to work on the resources that we have or the resources that we can deliver on, but these are resources and infrastructure that are already there.

We need to communicate that more widely. I was quite interested in what Mr. Ellingstad stated about how he began working from home and that his manager worked quite closely to encourage that. What more do we need to do in our work with companies to make known the potential of these hubs? I am only speaking about the ones in my region but I know they are underutilised. I strongly believe more needs to be done to encourage employers or entrepreneurs to set up and benefit from the good facilities that are currently in rural areas. Obviously, I am working closely with BACD, and in Roscommon, to promote that but there is another piece of work that needs to be done to finish off this jigsaw given the infrastructure that is there. I would appreciate a response on that main point.