Written Answers Nos. 454-462
454. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the total amount invested by his Department in the development of remote working hubs since 2020; if all of these hubs are being fully utilised; if he has data in relation to the occupancy rate of the 400 Connected Hubs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73092/25]
View answer458. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the total funding provided by his Department to local authorities to market and promote remote working hubs within their area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73096/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 454 and 458 together.
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. The Connected Hubs online platform was launched in May 2021 and is funded by my Department.
I was delighted to announce at the National Hub Summit recently that we have reached that key target and, as of the 8th of December, there are 401 hubs on-boarded to the Connected Hubs platform details of which are available on www.connectedhubs.ie. Funding for remote working facilities continues to form part of capital schemes within my department's Rural Development Investment Programme. These schemes provide funding for rural regeneration and renewal projects such as construction of community facilities, refurbishment of derelict buildings, etc. and include the development of remote working facilities in the range of items eligible for support. Thus, projects have been supported under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, LEADER, and the Rural Regeneration Development Fund in recent years which include development of remote working facilities. Many such projects are multi-functional and encompass multiple services e.g. youth centre, community centre, remote working space within the same facility such that it is not possible to determine the specific cost attributable to remote working.
My department also implemented targeted schemes in 2021 and 2022 to support the development of facilities in remote working hubs across Ireland to provide additional desk space and improve related services, such as privacy booths, technical equipment, meeting facilities and access controls. Almost €14 million was allocated across 200 projects under these schemes. In addition, the Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme was implemented in 2022 to raise awareness of the Connected Hubs platform and to encourage greater usage of hubs.
Given the range of public and private ownership models in place for member hubs, my department does not have a direct role in day to day operational matters such as occupancy in individual hubs. It is also of note that not all hub bookings are via the connected hubs platform. However, as part of its role in managing the network on behalf of my department, the Western Development Commission is in ongoing contact with hub owners and managers on a range of operational and strategic issues. These engagements indicate an average usage rate of 78% of desk space, although usage patterns do differ across locations and time of the year.
455. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he is concerned about the recent report from the GAA’s national demographics committee which highlights that 78% of GAA clubs in rural areas are facing declining populations; his views on how this trend can be reversed given the intrinsic importance of the GAA to rural communities and parishes; if he has met with the GAA in relation to their report and its findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73093/25]
View answerI am aware of the recent report, which highlights rural GAA clubs facing challenges in terms of player numbers and of the importance of such clubs as focal points and hubs for our communities and parishes. I am also aware that the GAA itself is committed to working within their communities and at national level to address such challenges via their National Demographics Committee and their county demographics officers.
While specific policies and supports for the GAA would fall under the remit of Sport Ireland or the Minister for Sport, the Government’s Our Rural Future policy contains a wide range of measures aimed at ensuring that all rural areas are attractive places for people to study, live, work and raise their families.Given the nature of the issues at hand, Our Rural Future takes a whole-of-Government approach to rural development, and actions undertaken under the current policy which can be seen to support our aims of increasing the population in rural areas include improvements in rural transport, broadband provision, support for rural enterprise, and ongoing support for the agri-food sector.
Within my own department, there has been significant funding increases in recent years across the range of capital investment schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.
These schemes continue to provide vital supports to rural communities, and I have witnessed first hand the very real and tangible impacts that these projects can have in rural towns and village all across the country.As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026 and the process of developing this strategy is well underway.
My department has undertaken an extensive programme of consultations which will help shape the new policy, and many of the issues relating to attracting and retaining young people and their families have already featured strongly. This consultation process included a dedicated meeting with the GAA at Croke Park, which myself and Minister Buttimer attended, alongside GAA President Jarlath Burns, Director General Tom Ryan and members of the GAA National Demographics Committee, in relation to issues such as those raised by the Deputy. Similarly, I also recently met with representatives of the Football Association of Ireland given their presence in communities all across rural Ireland.I look forward to the finalisation of the new Our Rural Future policy, which will provide the framework for the Government's ongoing commitment to, and support of, rural Ireland.
456. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht when the National Hubs Strategy will be finalised; his views on the importance of this strategy in light of Programme for Government commitments to utilise and promote remote working hubs as an affordable space for start-up companies as well as a potential landing space for FDI workers; the engagement his officials have had with IDA and Enterprise Ireland to date in the development of this strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73094/25]
View answerIn my time as Minister, significant progress has been made in the development of the first National Hub Strategy in collaboration with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. This includes extensive engagement with relevant stakeholders such as hub managers, local authorities, government departments and agencies, including Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. The enterprise agencies play a key role in guiding the development of the strategy as members of the National Hub Network Interdepartmental Working Group and the Strategy Working Group.
The strategy is built on three pillars of digital communities, hub working and enterprise development. The hub working pillar will focus on the continued strategic development of the Connected Hubs network over the coming years. The Enterprise development pillar will focus on government funded enterprise hubs. These hubs, supported by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment through Enterprise Ireland, deliver capability and capacity building for entrepreneurs, start-ups, scaling companies and SMEs in addition to providing physical work spaces. Enterprise hubs play a vital role in supporting the enterprise ecosystem in urban centres and in rural locations and are supporting balanced, regional and rural development.
Finally, the digital communities pillar addresses the role the Broadband Connection Points initiative will play in the sustainability of communities using high speed broadband to access digital services locally.The strategy, which I intend to publish shortly, will present a coherent approach to the future development of enterprise and remote working hubs and will aim to position hubs as part of employers' policies to attract and retain skilled workers in rural locations supporting balanced regional economic development.
457. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will provide an update on the commitment in Our Rural Future to pilot co-working and hot desking hubs for civil servants in a number of regional locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73095/25]
View answerOur Rural Future, the whole-of-government policy for sustainable rural development in Ireland, seeks to ensure that rural areas are attractive places for people to live, work and raise a family. In line with this, one of the policy priorities is to improve access to remote working for people in rural areas.
The policy contains a number of commitments to support this ambition, including Measure 11: ‘Pilot co-working or hot-desking for civil servants in a small number of towns initially, to support the objective of a move to 20% home or remote working. Delivery of Measure 11 falls under the remit of the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, who hold policy responsibility for civil service working practices, and in March 2022 published the Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organisations.
Our Rural Future Progress Reports are published on my Department’s website at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/collections/our-rural-future-annual-work-programmes-and-progress-reports/
The latest, Seventh Progress Report, includes an update from the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation indicating that “the objective of Measure 11 to achieve 20% blended working across the Civil Service has been achieved and as of October 2024 there were 24,404 registered Civil Service blended working applications active". I can confirm my own department, which itself covers four regional locations, has a blended working policy in place that provides staff with flexibility for a mixture of office-based and remote work that means we are also exceeding the original 20% target.
Looking ahead, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026, and engagement with departments is well underway with respect to ambitious commitments for delivery under the new plan as we continue our whole-of-Government approach to this next phase of Ireland’s rural development policy.
459. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the positions regarding the pilot scheme to support the use of rural pubs as community spaces and hubs for local services as committed under Our Rural Future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73097/25]
View answerMy Department, in collaboration with the Vintner's Federation of Ireland (VFI), introduced "Pubs as Community Hubs" on a pilot basis under the innovation measure of the CLÁR 2021 programme to support rural pubs to re-imagine their existing business and introduce new service offerings with a view to developing a more sustainable and community friendly business model. The initiative explored how the rural pub could be utilised as a space for community activities and services which may not be currently available locally. It was rolled out on a pilot basis in three locations in Cork, Cavan, and Clare. The types of community services which were put in place included the provision of meeting space for local groups, a cinema, and community market facilities. All three locations are still operating and have seen benefits in their respective communities from the pilot. The pilot was to test the approach and any subsequent delivery would be a matter for the VFI, potentially in collaboration with other funding sources.
460. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the development of a single portal to provide a funding roadmap on the range of programmes and schemes available across Government for rural and community development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73098/25]
View answerMy Department operates a large number of funding schemes aimed at supporting rural and community development. In order to empower local responses to local needs, the majority of schemes operated by my Department are administered in partnership with the Local Authorities, Pobal, or the Local Development Companies; however, details on all of these funding opportunities are available in a single location on my Department’s website at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/services/available-funding-and-supports/
Some of the key schemes operated by my Department include:
Rural Regeneration and Development Fund• (RRDF),
Community Centres Investment Fund• (CCIF),
Town and Village Renewal Scheme• (TVRS),
Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme• (ORIS),
LEADER
CLÁR-Funding for Small-Scale Rural Projects• ,
Local Enhancement Programme•
Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme • (SICAP)
Community Services Programme• (CSP)
Social Inclusion Supports • (including Empowering Communities Programme)This area of the website also provides details of the funding allocated by my Department under each programme, and contact details for each of the relevant sections in my Department in case further assistance is required. This funding is making a real difference in communities across the country, and I look forward to continuing to deliver significant investment to support rural and community development and the Gaeltacht in the months and years ahead.
461. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of category one RRDF projects which have been announced to date; the number of these projects which have been fully completed; the steps the Minister is taking to expedite delivery of large capital projects in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73099/25]
View answerThe Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects that can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural area. RRDF Category One relates to large scale capital works projects and, to date, 139 Category One projects have received Approval in Principle with the latest approvals announced in May 2024.
The significant majority of RRDF projects are delivered by our local authorities though application to the RRDF is open to other non-commercial State bodies and local development companies. Details of all allocations made under RRDF, together with project information, can be found on the Department’s website. Experience to date indicated that the typical lifecycle of RRDF projects, as large-scale infrastructure projects, typically ranges between 3 and 5 years.
I can confirm that 56 Category One projects have now been completed. The lead bodies for RRDF projects are deemed a Sponsoring Agency’ and are subject to the requirements related to Public Spending Code detailed in the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Deliver and Reform’s ‘Infrastructure Guidelines’. As such, the Sponsoring Agency has the responsibility for evaluation, planning and managing these public investment projects within the parameters of the Guidelines. This includes, for example, preparing the initial business case, project design and pre-tender works, procurement of a main contractor, monitoring and managing the implementation stage and reviewing project delivery.
Both I, and my officials, are in ongoing engagement with local authorities and others to ensure that capital projects funded by the Department continue to be delivered in a timely manner. In the Department’s role as Approving Authority, I can confirm my officials work in an ongoing basis with lead bodies on RRDF project across the country to ensure compliance with the Infrastructure Guidelines and manage capital budgets.
In addition to this, and to help bring a more strategic approach to capital project delivery, my department, in consultation with the County and City Management Association (CCMA), has established Capital Delivery Teams in local authorities. This initiative provides each of the 28 local authorities that are eligible for rural development funding with with support for the costs of staff that form a Capital Delivery Team dedicated exclusively to delivering the Department’s funded capital projects including RRDF. These teams will focus on improving the delivery of existing projects, generating an enhanced pipeline of new projects for the Department’s schemes, and enhancing communication between local authorities, communities and the Department.
In addition to these supports, my Department is engaging with the CCMA through an Advisory Group that provides strategic guidance, addresses any issues that may arise and shares best practice approached to capital projects delivery including through national events for the sector. I am committed to ensuring that the RRDF can continue to support high quality and transformational projects across rural Ireland in line with the objectives of Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First policy. To this end, I can confirm that it is my intention to launch a Call for Proposals for larger scale Category One projects in the near future.
462. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the implementation of Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors; the estimated value of the outdoor recreation sector to the Irish economy; if the Minister has data on visitor numbers to some of the flagship outdoor recreation projects his Department has supported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73100/25]
View answerEmbracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2027 was published in November 2022. This Strategy was developed in collaboration with Comhairle na Tuaithe and is a cross-Government, stakeholder-led strategy. The Strategy contains 95 agreed actions for implementation across a wide range of Government departments and agencies, to be delivered over the 5-year life span of the strategy. The implementation of the strategy is being jointly led by my department and Sport Ireland. Progress in delivering the strategy is being monitored through a strategy oversight group and quarterly meetings of Comhairle na Tuaithe.
The 2nd progress report on the implementation of the strategy, covering the period July 2024 to June 2025, was recently published and is available on www.gov.ie. In line with a commitment (Action 6.7) in Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, Sport Ireland have engaged external expertise to undertake a study to measure the economic, social and health benefits of outdoor recreation in Ireland. The outcome of this study will be available in Quarter 1 of 2026. It will provide data on the value of the sector to the economy and will provide evidence to support future decision-making on investment in outdoor recreation.
My department does not routinely compile data on visitor numbers from each project supported by my Department. However, there are counters in place on trails and at recreational sites operated by different bodies including local authorities, local development companies, community groups and Coillte. Some of these are supported with funding from my department. My officials are currently exploring ways to better collate and make available the counter data gathered by all these different organisations.
My department also has a strategic partnership in place with Coillte given our shared ambition for the outdoor recreation sector. Coillte data in relation to visitor numbers at key sites is available in their annual report. For example, in 2024 over 3 million visits were recorded using visitor counters at 47 dedicated Coillte recreation areas, with Avondale Forest Park, Co. Wicklow, Rossmore Forest Park, Co. Monaghan, and Ticknock, Co. Dublin recording the highest numbers.
