Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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94. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the delayed national hub network strategy is expected to be published; the reason for the delays to its publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55767/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Our Rural Future, the Government's Rural Development 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 the end of 2025.

I am glad to report that significant progress has been made towards this target, and that there are now 394 hubs across the country on-boarded to the Connected Hubs platform. Details of all the onboarded hubs are available on the Connected Hubs website.

The Government's recognition of the benefits of remote working hubs is reinforced in the Programme for Government commitment to expand the remit of these hubs across the country, unlocking new opportunities in rural communities, enabling remote work, e-health, remote learning, enterprise development and digital engagement.

In my time as Minister, a significant amount of progress has been made in the development of the first National Hub Strategy in collaboration with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, including extensive engagement with relevant stakeholders such as hub managers, local authorities, government departments and agencies.

This strategy will present a series of actions to support the future development and sustainability of remote working and enterprise hubs and to increase digital opportunities for local communities across the hub network.

Work is now at an advanced stage, and I expect to receive a draft of the strategy from my officials in the coming weeks. I thus intend to publish this strategy, in conjunction with my colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in the near future.