Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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2591. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if an application process is planned for interested pub owners in the recently announced proposal for a pilot scheme to turn rural pubs into remote working hubs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20800/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government’s ambitious new five year policy for rural Ireland, Our Rural Future, commits to the development of a pilot scheme to support the use of rural pubs as community spaces and hubs for local services.

I have met with the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) and my officials are currently working with VFI to develop the pilot project. Through the pilot, it is envisaged that a small number of pubs would explore how they might be used as community spaces and hubs for local services.

The pubs to be included in the pilot will be identified by the VFI in consultation with its members and they will work with community stakeholders locally to identify the interventions that might be supported at the identified locations.

Further details will be announced over the coming months.