John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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55. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of connected hubs established in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26538/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Our Rural Future recognises the opportunity that remote working presents for rural rejuvenation and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by 2025. Substantial funding has been invested by my Department in the development of remote working facilities through a variety of programmes. Successful projects have been developed in collaboration with local authorities and communities including funding for the conversion of many vacant and derelict buildings into remote working hubs.

In 2021, I launched connectedhubs.ie, a shared online booking and payments platform for remote working hubs and their users. There are currently 363 facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform, 8 of which are located in Co Wicklow (Table 1 attached). An interactive map that shows the location and details of each remote working hub in Ireland is available on connectedhubs.ie.

Remote working provides an opportunity for people to continue to live in rural communities while following their career ambitions, supporting the retention of skilled people in rural communities and attracting mobile talent to rural areas. It can reduce commuting time, lowering transport emissions, provide a better work-life balance and an improved quality of life.

Following strong progress on the establishment of the Connected Hub Network and on achieving the initial critical mass, I am now focusing on the next stage of development of this network. My Department, together with the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, is leading the development of a first National Hub Strategy in consultation with hub managers, local authorities, communities and other stakeholders. The Strategy will inform the future direction of the Connected Hubs Network and ensure the strategic development and sustainability of Ireland’s Hub Infrastructure.

I am committed to ensuring that the Connected Hubs 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.