Remote working: minister 'confident' 400 sites will be in place by 2025

The cost of a ‘hot desk’ at hubs varies around the country; the average cost was €10 to €20 per day, but some charge up to €30 and €35

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys says high prices could undermine the target of establishing hundreds of remote hubs nationally in the coming years. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

The operators of remote working hubs have been warned not to charge too much for their use as wide price disparities have emerged.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys says high prices could undermine the target of establishing hundreds of remote hubs nationally in the coming years.

But the minister says she is confident that a target of 400 remote working hubs will be met before 2025.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast in advance of the announcement of new initiatives to support remote working across the country, the minister said the aim was to increase capacity in such hubs and to make working from them more comfortable.

At present there are 200 such hubs, an increase from 60 last May. The target is 400 by 2025. 

I am confident we will meet that target sooner.

The cost of a ‘hot desk’ at hubs varies around the country, Ms Humphreys acknowledged. 

It depended on the needs of the clients, with hub owners setting their own charges. The average cost was €10 to €20 per day, she said, but some charge up to €30 and €35.

Owners that charged high prices could find they were not getting business. 

“If they are too expensive people are not going to use them," Ms Humphreys warned.

The minister said that the Government wanted to be able to give people the choice to work remotely, or to have a blended work style, spending a number of days in the office. This would lead to a better quality of life, she said.

When asked about grants to convert space into a home office, Ms Humphreys said that there had been a tax incentive in the last budget, but that working from home might not be a perfect situation as there needed to be a demarcation between work and personal life which was why remote working hubs were perfect and provided a good alternative.