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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 30 together.

The increased shift to remote work in the last nine months as a result of Covid-19 has given us all an opportunity to reimagine the possibilities for a greater regional distribution of jobs and for transforming rural Ireland. Remote working supported by appropriate infrastructure and facilities has the potential to encourage more people to live in rural areas while working in good quality jobs, no matter where their employers are based. It can also help to revitalise our rural towns if remote working hubs are developed in their centres.

The Western Development Commission, WDC, in partnership with the Whitaker Institute at National University of Ireland, Galway, has conducted extensive research into remote working in Ireland during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Recently published results from a survey of more than 5,600 people found that among those who can work remotely, 94% were in favour of working remotely on an ongoing basis for some or all of the time. Some 23% said they would consider relocating within Ireland based on their experiences of remote working since the onset of Covid-19 and 7% said they had already relocated within Ireland.

To support this shift, my Department is collaborating with the WDC to develop a national integrated network of remote working hubs supported by shared back office services. The national network will build on the work of the WDC in developing a hub network along the Atlantic economic corridor. The development of the national network is being overseen by an interdepartmental working group chaired by the Secretary General of my Department. Work is already under way to map and classify the various remote working facilities throughout the country. My Department has also allocated funding to the WDC to raise awareness of the hub facilities and the hub ecosystem across Ireland. In addition, €5 million has been allocated under budget 2021 for investment in remote working facilities at digital hubs and broadband connection points across rural Ireland.

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