I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together.
Balanced regional enterprise development remains a key focus for my Department and for the Government, as affirmed in the White Paper on Enterprise. I very much appreciate the contribution made by enterprise and remote working hubs throughout the country. These facilities allow people to live and work in their local communities and provide vital services to support entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs. We have invested significantly in the development of these facilities, and we remain committed to further support for the sector.
Substantial funding has been provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development towards the development of remote working facilities. Successful projects are developed in collaboration with local authorities and communities with many vacant and derelict buildings renovated to include remote working facilities through programmes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, LEADER and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. In addition, the Connected Hubs Call provided funding of €14 million to almost 200 projects between 2021 and 2022, enabling successful applicants to add additional capacity to existing infrastructure in remote working hubs throughout the country.
My Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development are continuing to work together to develop the first strategy for the National Hub Network, following consultation with key stakeholders. I expect the draft strategy to be brought to Government in this quarter.
The Deputy will be aware that, since 2017, my Department has allocated more than €150 million to support regional enterprise development initiatives, including many enterprise centres and hubs, across the country through Enterprise Ireland’s schemes, such as the Regional Enterprise Development Fund and the Border Enterprise Development Fund.
The Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme, co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund and administered by Enterprise Ireland, is currently open for applications. The scheme includes four streams ranging from delivery of major local enterprise infrastructure such as building enterprise hubs to funding for services delivered to SMEs to drive innovation and enhance their competitiveness. While they are independent, the Government will work collaboratively with the local authorities to deliver innovative projects. The local authorities have supported many of the enterprise hubs delivered to date, as project partners or through direct funding contributions.
The point made by the Deputy relating to the financial capacity of different local authorities has been raised with my Department and is worth considering. The Deputy may be aware that the Smart Regions scheme has an element of funding ring-fenced for the Northern and Western region, specifically targeted at improving opportunities and facilities in this area.
My Department does not have plans to introduce another regional enterprise development scheme at this time, given the Smart Regions scheme is in place. I expect, however, that funding of enterprise hubs will be kept under review as we consider future approaches to regional enterprise development. An independent review of the Regional Enterprise Plan initiative is currently under way and I know the local authorities are providing feedback on key issues as part of that review, including the availability of funding.
