Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2026
446. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the current number of community enterprise hubs opened in the country, their location, the number and location of any in planning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8772/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraOur Rural Future, the Government's Rural Development Policy, recognises the importance of remote working and committed to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by the end of 2025. I was delighted to announce at the National Hub Summit last November that we have reached that key target. As of 3rd February 2026, there are 407 hubs on-boarded to the Connected Hubs platform. Details of the hubs can be found on connectedhubs.ie. The Atlantic Economic Corridor Hubs Classification includes a five-category framework to reflect the main focus of services at hubs. The categories are: (1) Enterprise hubs, (2) Scaling Hubs (3) R&D Hubs, (4) Community and Enterprise hubs and (5) Co-working hubs. As part of the onboarding of hubs on the Connected Hubs Network, each hub indicates which of these categories best fits their profile. As part of that process, 141 hubs on the connectedhubs.ie platform have classified themselves as Community and Enterprise hubs with 69 classified as Enterprise hubs. Appendix A attached provide details of the location of these hubs as requested. It should be noted, however, that many of the hubs on the network offer a range of different services and thus could be included under more than one of the above categories. My officials will continue to work with key partners such as the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and the Western Development Commission to underpin the continued growth and development of the Connected Hubs Network.
