Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The reason I tabled this question is that we are bringing fibre into homes, and that is very positive and it is happening throughout the country. However, there will be issues in terms of health and safety for employers, which is encouraging some employers to bring people back into the office. I think the solution to all this is a hybrid mechanism in order that people do not work at home on their own. Along with the health and safety issues, there are mental health issues associated with that. However, bringing workers into a hub reduces the need for them to commute long distances to work and reduces the need for the employer to bring them physically into work while addressing those concerns. There is an opportunity there to reconstitute digital hubs as hybrid locations, meeting the needs not just of small and medium-sized businesses but of multinational businesses as well. It provides us with an opportunity to create a niche where we have people coming together and coming up with new, innovative ideas which will drive the innovative solutions of the future.

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