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

Deputy O'Connor referred to Youghal. I had a great time there with him and Deputy Stanton. It is wonderful what is happening in the town. It certainly is being regenerated and if there is any support we can give to people there, we will, of course, do so. I visited the boardwalk, which is a great addition to the town. Well done to those involved. This is what I want to see happening. There are many different opportunities to apply for funding from my Department and I want to see a bottom-up approach in order to make a difference for communities, villages and towns. Only last week, I announced a specific strand of funding to acquire buildings in town and villages. Local authorities can avail of that money to buy buildings for community use or for the purpose of providing remote working hubs.

Deputy Stanton mentioned Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. We all work together on these issues. The regional enterprise development fund, which is under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, provides funding in this area. The Tánaiste is doing a lot of work around remote working and we must continue that work. We got a chance during the Covid crisis to change work practices. Continuing that requires new thinking and to look outside the box. In a survey this week, funded by my Department through the Western Development Commission and conducted by NUI Galway, 30% of respondents said they would change jobs and even take a pay cut if remote working were an option. People are looking at their options and taking into consideration such factors as quality of life and reduced commuting times. We want to support them. I feel very passionately about this and I know all the Deputies in the House want to see remote working facilitated. It is about securing top-quality jobs in one's own town or village.

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