Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 394: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position in regard to the development of the digital hub and the benefits accruing there from; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44008/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) continues to develop and grow the Digital Hub. There are now 857 employees working in 101 companies located in the Digital Hub. When contract employees are taken into account the number rises to over 1,000 people working daily in the Digital Hub. Approximately one in six digital media companies currently operating in Ireland is based in the Digital Hub. The work of these companies encompasses computer gaming, animation, online bookings, Internet security, website development, mobile technologies, broadcasting, design and Internet services. Such highly-skilled knowledge economy companies are key to maintaining and developing economic success.

Recently, GOA Games Services, a subsidiary of France Telecom, which already employs 200 people in the Digital Hub, announced an expansion to 400 employees in the next 12 months. It is also notable that two Digital Hub companies, Lincor and Zamano, took first and second place in the Deloitte Fast 50 rankings of Ireland's fastest growing enterprises. Apart from enterprise, the DHDA also has remits relating to education, community and urban regeneration. The DHDA delivers a very successful learning programme, which provides state-of-the-art digital media education to schools and the wider community in Dublin's south west inner city, with a view to improving learning, employment and leisure opportunities for local residents. The programme is hugely successful and almost 40 digital media learning programmes have been delivered to almost 3,300 participants in local schools and community groups to date.

In relation to community engagement, the DHDA delivers an award-winning consultation process, the Community, Public, Private Partnership (CPPP) process. The process is chaired by Mr. Peter Cassells, and brings together around 60 community, public sector and private sector organisations. The process monitors delivery of the DHDA's development plan. As a direct result of this engagement, the employment service for the local community and a local adult education centre are both now operating from the Digital Hub campus.

Physical development/urban regeneration at the Digital Hub is provided in three ways:

1. Direct development by the DHDA;

2. Contracts entered into with two private developers; and

3. Leasing of space in the locality by the DHDA.

In order to meet the demand for commercial property for digital media companies at the Digital Hub, the DHDA has leased office space to meet the requirements of its tenant companies. The DHDA has now reached the point where all of its own available space has been occupied — approximately 80,000 sq.ft in State ownership by the DHDA or OPW — with a further 80,000 sq.ft occupied by Digital Hub tenants under interim lease arrangements with third parties. A further 20,000 sq.ft is likely to be delivered during the first half of 2009 under a proposal to redevelop another State owned building.

Planning permission was granted earlier this year for 140,000 sq.ft of digital media offices. The aim is to deliver a complete new city quarter, encompassing enterprise, retail, residential and community learning space by 2012.

Because of the above successes, the Digital Hub has gained an international reputation as a model of best practice. The project now serves as a showcase for Irish innovation, attracting delegations from over 50 different countries each year.