Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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22. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development when successful projects in Dún Laoghaire will be announced under the Connected Hubs Fund aimed at further supporting the development of remote working facilities across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27396/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages. Notwithstanding the clear benefits to individuals and families in terms of quality of life indicators, remote working from hubs will also support local economies, reduce carbon emissions and may arrest or reverse the depopulation of certain areas. Accordingly, over recent years my department has invested some €100 million in the sector, to build, improve and expand hubs.

Last 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 236 hubs live on the platform, with this number increasing on an ongoing basis. In total 41 of these 236 hubs are located in county Dublin, with a further 32 hubs in county Dublin mapped for invitation to join the network.

The attached table provides a full breakdown of connected hub platform figures.

My Department continues to fund the establishment and development of remote working hubs under a number of funding streams.  For example, under the Connected Hubs 2021 funding call, over €670,000 was awarded to applicants across county Dublin, with funding going to, amongst others, Digital HQ hub and the Glasshouse hub in Dun Laoghaire.

In February, I launched the 2022 Connected Hubs Call, a €5 million funding stream to further support remote working facilities (including BCPs) throughout the country and to add further capacity to the National Hub Network. The 2022 evaluation process has now concluded and I will be announcing the successful applicants very shortly.  

Details of successful applicants  will be available on www.gov.ie.  

The development of a National Hubs Network is a key commitment in Our Rural Future and I am committed to continuing my Department's support for the ongoing 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.

TABLE 1 – Connectedhubs.ie - Remote Working Hubs by County (as of the 23rd May 2022)