Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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127. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on her efforts to support remote working; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52968/22]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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130. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development her plans for the development of remote working hubs in rural towns. [53866/22]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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138. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the work that is being carried out on remote working hubs and broadband connection points; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53090/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 127, 130 and 138 together.

Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy was launched in early 2021. The policy recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages.

My Department operates a number of funding schemes that focus on projects supporting remote working through the development of digital hubs, including the development of Public Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) as long-term, digitally-enabled community assets.

In May 2021 I launched the Connected Hubs network together with the connectedhubs.ie platform. The Network includes a range of digital hubs and BCPs that cater for a wide variety of remote and co-working needs. The Connected Hubs platform offers a suite of booking, hub management and e-commerce applications to members of the Network. The Network also facilitates the sharing of innovation, experience and best practices across the community. These supports serve to maximise benefit to member hubs, hub clients, employers, local communities and the wider economy.

To date, approximately 295 hubs have joined the Connected Hubs Network. This number is growing all the time meaning we are well on track to meet our target of 400 remote working hubs nationwide by 2025.

Over €100 million has also been invested by my department in the development of remote working facilities through programmes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund. Successful projects are developed in collaboration with local authorities and communities with many projects seeing vacant and derelict buildings in rural towns and villages converted into remote working hubs. This includes approximately €14 million in funding to almost 200 projects via the Connected Hubs fund, enabling successful applicants to add additional capacity to existing remote working infrastructure in digital hubs and BCPs throughout the country.

In addition to the Connected Hubs Network, my department is working closely with officials at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) and local authorities to establish the nationwide network of BCPs. BCPs are publicly accessible facilities, typically community centres and sports clubs, in predominantly rural and isolated areas. These facilities offer onsite internet access for a variety of community uses, including skills training and STEM activities for children and young people, eHealth initiatives and remote working. 282 of 300 BCP sites are now live, with the remainder scheduled for completion this year.

To date my focus has been on establishing the National Hub Network and the BCP network and on achieving the initial critical mass. Following strong progress on the establishment phase of both projects, my focus has now shifted to the next stage of development. To this end, my officials have been consulting with hub managers across the country, with local authorities and communities, and with other stakeholders, to better inform the future strategic direction of the National Hub Network, the connectedhubs.ie platform and the BCP program.

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 remote working hubs and BCPs in recognition of the vital role that they can play in our post-COVID recovery.