Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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 commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by 2025.

In furtherance of this commitment, my Department’s focus to date has been on strategically developing a national hub network, adding capacity to Ireland's existing remote working infrastructure and supporting the establishment of new hubs.

Over €150m has been invested by my department in the development of remote working facilities through programmes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and the Connected Hubs Call. 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.

In 2021 I launched ConnectedHubs.ie, a shared online booking and payments platform for member hubs and their users. The network includes a diverse range of hubs, services and facilities, thus facilitating companies of different sizes. There are currently 324 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform. An interactive map is available on connectedhubs.ie that shows the location and details of each remote working hub on the network.

To date my focus has been on establishing the Connected Hub Network and on achieving the initial critical mass. Following strong progress on the establishment phase of the project, my focus has, for some time, shifted to the next stage of development.

To this end my Department is currently leading on the formulation of a National Hub Strategy to chart the future strategic direction of the hub sector. Key to this approach is close consultation with stakeholders and our partners across government together with crucial survey data. For example, through the provision of up-to-date information on issues such as employee remote working experiences and preferences, employer and organisation responses to hybrid and remote working, and the role of remote working options on career and job choice, Galway ATU’s and the WDC’s annual Remote Work Survey helps enable informed decision with regard to remote working requirements.

I have been clear throughout my tenure as Minister for Rural and Community Development that balanced regional development, sustainable and thriving communities, and indeed the wider national economy will all benefit from workers and employers embracing the remote working revolution.

I am committed to ensuring that the National Hub Network will continue to make a central contribution to the achievement of the Government's vision for rural Ireland, as set out in Our Rural Future.