Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Our Rural Future 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. There are currently 343 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform. Table 1 attacehd sets out the total number of hubs onboarded in each county.

My department has invested significantly in the establishment and development of hubs through the range of schemes which make up my Department's Rural Development Investment Programme. This has included funding the development of new hubs under schemes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

In 2021 and 2022 I implemented a new targeted scheme support the development of facilities in hubs across Ireland. Almost €14 million in funding to some 200 projects was allcoated via this Connected Hub Calls. Table 2 provides a breakdown for Connected Hubs funding allocations by County.The types of facilities developed under this Fund included the provision of additional desk space, privacy booths, technical equipment, meeting facilities and access control.

Details in relation to projects funded across the schemes operated by my Department are available at www.drcd.gov.ie

TABLE 1 – Connectedhubs.ie - Remote Working Hubs by County

(as of the 29th of January 2024)

TABLE 2 – Connected Hubs Funding by County

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) provide onsite connectivity for community use at publicly accessible premises, such as community centres and sports clubs. They are located in rural and isolated areas including on a number of off-shore islands and support remote working, digital skills training and a range of community initiatives. Of the 299 BCP's installed, 294 are live and operational. The county breakdown requested by the Deputy is outlined in the table.

The connection of schools Strategic Connection Points is the responsibility of Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication and the Department of Education. Government and National Broadband Ireland (NBI) agreed to accelerate the rollout of high-speed broadband to some 679 schools across the State in the Intervention Area. According to NBI, this acceleration was completed at the end of 2023. This will ensure that all schools across the State will have the necessary infrastructure to carry out their critical day to day educational activities unimpeded by poor broadband. A list of these schools by county are available on the NBI website at nbi.ie/primary-schools-list/.