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

It was my idea to do this voucher scheme because we wanted to get bums on seats. We wanted to introduce people to the hubs and make them aware of them. It worked well because now we have nearly 75% occupancy in our remote working hubs. The voucher scheme was probably of its time and I want to look forward now because I want to consider sustainability into the future. I know costs are rising and that some of the hubs may need some support to run them and to provide the facility. We will examine all the options. The Deputy is absolutely right. Remote working is good for rural communities. It increases the footfall in the towns. It is good for the work-life balance and for the environment with less time spent commuting. All in all, I am a great supporter of the remote working hubs. When we consider the new strategy, we will see how we can make it even stronger. We know ourselves that there is many the person who spends three days at home and two days commuting and the remote working hub is far healthier for people than sitting at a kitchen table.

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