Written answers
Tuesday, 7 December 2021
Department of Rural and Community Development
Flexible Work Practices
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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88. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the delivery of remote working hubs; the progress of the development of a national hubs network; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60214/21]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated network of remote working hubs over the lifetime of the policy to 2025.
In May I launched the National Connected Hubs network together with the connectedhubs.ie platform. The platform offers a suite of booking and hub management applications to members of the Network. There are currently 170 hubs live on the platform, with this number growing every week. (Table 1 attached provides a breakdown by County).
TABLE 1 – Connectedhubs.ie - Remote Working Hubs by County (as at 26 November 2021)
| County | Live on the connectedhubs.ie platform | Mapped to be invited to join the connectedhubs.ie platform |
|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 4 | 3 |
| Cavan | 3 | 6 |
| Clare | 10 | 7 |
| Cork | 13 | 18 |
| Donegal | 11 | 11 |
| Dublin | 27 | 38 |
| Galway | 16 | 27 |
| Kerry | 13 | 13 |
| Kildare | 3 | 7 |
| Kilkenny | 1 | 5 |
| Laois | 4 | 5 |
| Leitrim | 7 | 14 |
| Limerick | 10 | 11 |
| Longford | 2 | 3 |
| Louth | 3 | 7 |
| Mayo | 11 | 21 |
| Meath | 0 | 12 |
| Monaghan | 6 | 3 |
| Offaly | 4 | 10 |
| Roscommon | 4 | 14 |
| Sligo | 3 | 9 |
| Tipperary | 4 | 21 |
| Waterford | 4 | 8 |
| Westmeath | 0 | 8 |
| Wexford | 5 | 9 |
| Wicklow | 2 | 4 |
| TOTAL | 170 | 294 |
To date our focus has been to develop a critical mass of hubs on the connectedhubs.ieplatform - the focus will now shift to raising awareness of the network to relevant stakeholders, including SMEs/business owners and hub users. Work is also ongoing to consult with hub managers across the country in developing the future strategic direction of the National Hub Network.
A significant number of initiatives will be developed through the Network including: supporting collective engagement between Connected Hubs and large scale employers; supporting collective engagement between Connected Hubs and Government agencies; and supporting collaborative projects in the Network to drive economies of scale.
My Department also supports the development of remote working facilities and hubs via a number of funding streams. To date, over €83m in funding has been provided in this regard through schemes such as the Rural Regeneration Development Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
The development of a National Hubs Network is a key commitment in Our Rural Futureand I am committed to continuing my Department's support for the development of a comprehensive and integrated network of remote working hubs in recognition of the vital role that they can play in our post-Covid recovery.
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