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

I know the Deputy is very familiar with the Creative Spark in Louth and The Mill in Drogheda. Those are two outstanding centres in terms of what they are doing there. I recall it was in The Mill in Drogheda that I launched the remote working app. I have been in both places this year.

The connected hubs fund is there to support centres, whether they are private or publicly owned, to upgrade their facilities. For example, they could put in a privacy pod and improve their facilities.

It is up to the local authorities to bid for funding and there are a number of different funding streams in my Department where they can acquire buildings and have a remote working space in them. They can apply under the town and village renewal scheme. There is also the buildings acquisition fund, where I give every local authority €400,000 to allow it to buy two properties to turn those into community facilities, and part of that could be for a remote working hub. Perhaps some of the places that do not have it need to engage with the local authority and see what they can do there. There are private operators that get the support as well.

On Dunleer, libraries fall under my Department as well. Perhaps the Deputy wants to engage with me on that. I do not have the list of the ten hubs, but I can get it for him.

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